Iron Roses
by Goldie-with-a-pen
Summary: The newest recruit to squad Levi, Bara Tetsu, Is a seemingly normal, pretty, and strong girl. But she has a past that would tell otherwise. [I will pretty much throw in every character, sorry if they are OOC.] Rated 'T' for violence.
1. New recruit

**[AN] So, because I never put this at the beginning, and I realized I never told you, I decided I'd update this. So, this is set about a year or so ahead of the usual timeline, and trost has happened already. They aren't anywhere specific, but they are within walls. And they have a much better place that is referred to as a castle. Also, the special squad of Levi's is made up of the 104th, and everyone is there pretty much. So yeah. I think that's about all you need to know, and I will be going back and editing all the chapters with horrible mistakes and embarrassing errors. That's all for now, thank you. Also, I don't own Shingeki no Kyojin, don't sue me, please.**

* * *

"Listen up." The short man said as he paced in front of the cadets. "We have a new recruit here." He paused a moment and looked up at his cadets. "I will be your captain. You will treat me with the utmost respect, and follow my orders without hesitation." Everyone nodded as he looked directly at the new recruit, at the front.

"Training will be more constant and rigorous than you are most likely used to. If you don't like it, oh well, get used to it."  
'Hmm, I like him.' Bara thought, as she watched him pace around a little more. "Sir! I have a question!" A loud, almost instantly obnoxious, voice said from the back. "What cadet." He said, his voice stern, but sounded slightly bored.

"Um, Sir!" She started, giving him a salute. "I was just wondering, will we be running laps with her?" Everyone turned and looked at the voice, everyone except Bara. "Will you shut up Sasha?" She heard a man say from behind her. "Yeah, quiet!" She heard another man yell. 'So only new recruits run...' Bara thought to herself.

She continued looking forward, in the direction of captain Levi. "Oi, people and their stupid priorities..." She murmured, hoping that captain Levi could just get on with his little speech, and they could either move on to dinner or training. She was fine with either option.

"Hey! Brats!" The captain yelled to the murmuring cadets. "You will be running laps, _now_." He exaggerated the 'now' like it was only because the girl, Sasha, had mentioned it.

Everyone groaned, except Bara. She quite enjoyed running, so this would actually be fun for her, and not really challenging, though it would still be difficult.

"I assume they were already going to be running laps..." Bara said, half talking to herself, half to everyone else. "Probably." The captain said, shrugging off the whole thing, and returning to his pacing, and folding his arms over his chest.

"Now," He started, still pacing, but glancing over at the cadets. "No more asinine distractions, understand?" All the cadets yelled, "Yes sir!" With a salute. But Bara said, "Hai captain!"

Captain Levi seemed to notice this, and turned his head, slightly facing her, and raised an eyebrow. "Captain?" He repeated. "Hai!" She said, not looking nearly as nervous, (not at all in fact) as the other cadets. He hummed, and turned his head away.

"Is there a problem with that? Captain?" He turned his head in her direction again. "No, no problem, just, interesting."

His speech had very little left to it, they had already gotten through most of the duration before Sasha interrupted him.

"So, I expect the best, of you." He said, staring at Bara. "If you've come this far, I don't want to see you fall beneath the rest." He stood front and center, eyeing up the new cadet, seeing if she was nervous.

He could always see tell tale signs of nervousness even from a difference. Though it's almost always different for different people. For some, it's shaking, others sweats, some bite their nails, other avoid eye contact (though most of them do with Levi anyway.) sometimes even dilated pupils. But when he looks at Bara, he sees nothing but confidence, she maintains eye contact with him, which means she isn't intimidated by him, or at least she doesn't show it.

He thought it was interesting, that she seemed like one of the smaller, though still taller than him, recruits, and was not at all nervous. He hummed thoughtfully. "I will need to learn her name later..." He whispered to himself, though Bara heard. She was the only cadet that heard him. She didn't show much of any change in her expression when she heard him, though. He walked a little closer to her, so that he was only a few feet away, and stared at her, her expression ever unchanging.

"Interesting..." He whispered. "What is captain?" He squinted his eyes slightly and stared at her some more. "You are..."

"I will think to take that as a complement, captain." She said, with a slight smile on her face. "Oh, you should," He started, still

"Oh, you should," He started, still intensely staring at her, with piercing eyes, waiting to get a reaction. "I don't intimidate you?" She paused just a moment, before answering. "Not particularly captain." He hummed in thought again. "Interesting..." He whispered again.

"Most cadets can barely even look in my direction."

"I can tell you now, captain, I am not like most cadets."

He smiled at this. "I can tell, not usually are cadets excited to run laps."

"Ah, so you noticed, captain."

He stepped back to his earlier positioning. "You are dismissed, cadets!" He said, standing in front of everyone, getting a good look at them all. "YES SIR!" Came from all the cadets, except, of course, one. Bara gave a strong salute, and said, "HAI CAPTAIN!" With much enthusiasm.

"Excited to run..." He whispered, thinking aloud, as he watched the cadets begin to run laps, Bara clearly very excited.  
"Interesting..."

* * *

 **(AN) Yay! got the first chapter done really fast! though it is short...Sorry if Levi is a little out of character, this is my first time trying to write Levi, so I'm finding that it's a bit of a challenge to capture his personality! My own character, Bara, you'll find her last name later, has an interesting personality that you will see in the future. I made this one short, because I didn't know what else to do with it, so I left it there. I hope to make later chapters longer! and thank you for reading! 3 Please leave a review!**


	2. Running man

Bara was excitedly running laps, until she caught herself. "Hey, slow down Bara, you're going to use up all your energy that way..." She whispered to herself, slowing her pace, and falling back with the rest of the recruits.

"I thought...running laps...was only...punishment..." A girl, who Bara assumes is Sasha, said between breaths. She didn't recognize the girl, but the boy next to her, she recognized. "Eren jaeger..." She whispered to herself.

Eren replied, "Well, Yeah, it usually is, but-" He was interrupted by a strawberry-blonde haired man. "Maybe if you didn't ask stupid questions, we'd all be sitting comfortably in our quarters!" 'Sasha' turned and looked at him angrily "...H-hey!" She could barely compose words, let alone sentences, while her two friends, or rather, familiars, seemed to be fine, for now.

"H-how is...it...that you...g-guys...seem to...h-have...s-so m-much...energy?" She said through heavy breaths. "Well," The strawberry-blonde started. "Maybe that's because we are actually training, and not stuffing our face with food!"

"Shut up horse-face!" Eren yelled.

"Hey! Don't call me that twerp!"

Bara groaned in annoyance as they started bickering. "Hey," Bara shouted, gaining all their attention. "Strawberry head." No one properly responded with anything more than a confused look. "Horse-face." She said, pointing at said 'horse-face'.

"Wh-strawberry head?" He mumbled to himself.

"Who are you?" Bara asked.

"What, our names?"

"Yes your names, I don't need life stories, though being able to properly address you would be nice."

"Oh, uh, I'm Jean. And this is Sasha," He said, pointing towards the red-head. 'Knew it.' she thought to herself.

"And this is," He started, gesturing towards Eren, but Bara interrupted him.

"No, I know him, Eren. Titan boy..." she murmured the last part. "Wait, but who's that?" She said, pointing behind Eren.

"Huh?" They all said, even the breathless Sasha.

"Ack! Mikasa! Don't scare me like that!" Eren yelled, practically jumping out of his skin. "Mikasa..." Bara repeated.

"Who is that?" Mikasa asked, in her calm quiet tone, pointing at Bara. "She's the new girl." Jean started, gesturing towards Bara. "What's your name?" He asked, extending a hand toward her.

She paused, she doesn't much like physical contact of any kind, even just a simple handshake. "Uhm, Bara, Bara Tetsu." She said, grabbing his hand and shaking it. "Nice to meet you!" He said while placing a hand on the back of his neck.

"Who is she," Mikasa said, now creeping up on Jean. "Her name's Bara." He said, almost dreamily. "Hi," She said quickly and then ran over towards Eren again.

"How... Many... Laps..." Sasha started, barely even at a run anymore. "have... We... Gotten..."

Eren thought for a moment. "Uhm... Ten, I think..." he said unsure of his answer.

Bara sighed and corrected him. "Twelve and a half." Eren looked at Bara surprised. "Were you counting?" He asked.

"Yeah." she shrugged. "I've just counted the number of times we've rounded that building." She pointed to the main castle, which they were steadily nearing. "Oh... Huh..." Was all Eren had to say.

* * *

Many, many laps later, Sasha was beginning to fall further, and further, behind the rest. "Some... One... Car... Ry... _M_ _eee_..." she extended the last syllable in 'me' as she fell further behind, to the back of the group. "O-oh... That's... Where... You... Were... Connie..." She said, slowly.

"Yeah! I stuck to the back of the group, so I wouldn't lose too much energy!" He said, rubbing his bald head. "C-carry... _M_ _eeee_!" She said, moving her arms toward Connie.

"O-okay!" He said, as she walked around to his back, and jumped on top.

"Oof!" He blurted. She easily jumped on due to the height difference. "Okay, nope... **nopenopenopenope**. bad idea bad idea **get off**." He said, trying to even stay standing, let alone run. "YOU COMMITTED TO THIS." She yelled. "Just get _off_!" Connie whined.

Bara sighed from the front, she was still too close to hear all the noise from other cadets, and just wanted to run in peace. "Well," She started. "I'll see you guys later, Jean, Eren, and Mikasa."

"Yeah! seeya at the mess hall!" Jean said.

"Seeya later Bara!" Eren said happily.

"Yeah. Bye," Mikasa deadpanned.

"Weird bunch there," she said, the distance between her and the other cadets growing.

"WHEN WILL THIS TORTURE END!?" Sasha yelled from the back. "Speak for yourself! I'm the one carrying you!" Connie said, clearly unhappy with his current situation. Bara growled from the front, now very annoyed at the lack of and peace and quiet.

"Can you all just shut up? Please!" She yelled from the front. Everyone shut up, and looked forward, to see the new recruit twenty yards ahead of them, and with plenty of energy to spare.

"That's enough recruits!" Captain Levi said, as they finished their twenty-fifth lap. "How're you feeling cadets?" He asked, mostly directing his question towards the ones bent over on their knees huffing for air. Connie just up and collapsed right when captain Levi told them they could stop, and Sasha's been asleep for the last few laps. Mostly everyone else seemed okay.

"How are you? Cadet?" He asked, directing his question to Bara.

"I am fine, Heichou!" she said enthusiastically.

He hummed. "Name? Cadet?"

"Hai, Tetsu Bara." She said, energetically.

He hummed again. "You seem to have really enjoyed that run."

"Hai. I love running Heichou!"

"I will be showing you to your quarters after you wash."

"Hai!" She said with a salute.

* * *

Jean bumped shoulders with a man standing next to him. "How long do you think that spunk is going to last when she starts training?" He asked, almost in a whisper.

"I don't know, but you shouldn't patronize all the newbies..."

He bumped him with his shoulder again. "C'mon! Have some fun every once and a while!" The man sighed.

"This is what you call fun?" He asked. 'No wonder they don't like you...' he thought, walking ahead, following the other cadets to the mess hall.

* * *

"Hey Armin!" Eren yelled.

"Yeah?" A blonde haired kid answered. "How was the run? I didn't see you in the front."

"Oh." He started rubbing the back of his neck. "I hung back, I'm not the best at running! I'm a little winded right now!"

Eren laughed and playfully hit his arm. "You'll get better at it!"

* * *

"So, what's your favorite food? How many different foods have you eaten? Do you like eating? What am I saying!? Of course you like eating! Everyone likes eating! R-right?" Sasha spouted question after question to Bara's ignoring ears.

"Jeez! Sasha calm down a little and stop bombarding the newbie!" Connie said, while picking up a tray of food. "Bombarding? Was I really asking that many questions?"

"You kind of where." Connie replied. Bara was completely ignoring every word the two said. She just wanted to get her food, wash, go to her quarters, and go to sleep. But everyone else wanted to talk.

Because people love talking, she's the knew girl, and everyone wants to wring her of her personal information that she doesn't feel comfortable giving out, this was going to take far longer than desired.

She sat down at a table with her food, and began eating, trying her best to ignore Sasha's questioning. She sighed and gave up ignoring her. "Sasha, I understand that you would like to meat me, and talk with me, and be all hunky-dory with me, but no thank you." She seemed slightly surprised, and that provided all the open time she needed to finish her meal, dispose of her tray, and leave, before Sasha regained her senses, and said; "Wait, what?"

She walked down the hall, to the wash room, but paused. She thought for a moment. 'Hmm, currently the only clothes I have are the ones I am wearing, and changing back into these would defeat the purpose of the shower all together... But ...I don't know where my other clothes are...' She stood still in the hall, making her desicion, and when she came to it, she turned on her heels. "This was Heichou's office, right?" She whipered to herself, before knocking twice on the door.

"Who is it." A bored, monotonic voice said from the other side. "Cadet Tetsu, Heichou." Creaking was heard inside, and the door was opened. Captain Levi stood at the doorway, the door only open a crack, and looked her up and down.

Creaking was heard inside, and the door was opened. Captain Levi stood at the doorway, the door only open a crack, and looked her up and down.

"You haven't washed." He said, his same bored tone. He was about to close the door, but she put her hand in front of it to stop it. "But, Heichou, I have no spare clothes." He sighed and opened the door fully, stepped into the hallway, and closed the door behind him. "Fine." He said, sounding boreder than before. "I'll take you to your quarters." "Hai, thank you Heichou."

"But, Heichou, I have no spare clothes." He sighed and opened the door fully, stepped into the hallway, and closed the door behind him.

"Fine." He said, sounding more bored than before. "I'll take you to your quarters."

"Hai, thank you Heichou."

He walked a few hallways down, walked halfway down the hallway, and stopped. He rustled into his pocket for his ring of keys, unlocked the door, and swung it open. "Here is your room." He said, while pulling the key of the ring. "Here is your key." He said, handing her the key.

"Kansha!"

"Yeah...mondainai."

She giggled slightly.

"I was beginning to become worried you weren't understanding what I was saying!"

He smiled slightly, barely visible. "Toreeningu de ashita wo ai."

"Sayonara! Mataashita ne!"

* * *

 **(AN) All right! this one is a much better length! If you're wondering what they were saying back there, first of all in case you don't know, they were speaking Japanese, (Yeah I just kind of assumed Levi knows Japanese) And here's what they were saying. Heichou means Lieutenant, or General, and I know she referred to Levi as captain in the first chapter, though I meant for it to be Heichou, and I'm not gonna bother going back and fixing it, lazy, I know. Hai, pretty simply, means yes, or anything pertaining to it. And at the end they said (rough translation here guys, using google translate.):**

 **Kansha, Thank you**

 **Mondainai, No problem**

 **Toreeningu de ashita wo ai, See you tomorrow at training**

 **Sayonara, Matashi ne, Bye, see you tomorrow**

 **I don't know why, just wanted to throw some Japanese in there to hint hint at her lineage! Thank you for reading!**

 **I hope they weren't out of character! I know I'm having trouble with Levi, that's for sure. At least he always sounds bored! Please leave a review!**


	3. All of the above

**(AN) Hello! I've decided that I will put the translations next to the Japanese phrase or word, unless you aren't supposed to know right that moment, or you will be told later. Also, I'd like to make the chapters longer from now on, and I will try to go through almost everything in a day, so that will definitely account for making the chapters longer! Thank you for reading!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own attack on titan or any of its characters. I do own my OC Bara Tetsu, so keep your hands off.**

* * *

'Training at seven, training at seven.' Was all that was running through Bara's mind when she fell asleep.

'Matemasan! Matemasan! (I'm so excited!) ' She thought, waking at, what she thought, was six thirty (AM). "Huh?" She mumbled, walking towards the window, and pushing it open. "WHERE'S THE SUN!?" She yelled to herself, staring at the still bleak, dark, sky. She groaned to herself.

"It must just be dawn... Damn you, internal clock..." She said, bumping herself in the head. "Ma! Watashi wa kore o tojiru hitsuyo ga arimasu! (Jeez! I should close this!)" She said, swiftly closing the window. "Watashi wa nudodesu! (I'm nude!)"

She sighed heavily while exiting her quarters. "Nothing to do for hours..." She grumbled, walking down the long hallway, not even knowing where she's going. She walked down the hallway with haste, wanting to get some fresh air.

She turned a quick corner, and- "KAMI!" She slammed right into Eren "God! Are you trying to kill me?" Eren said, taking the hand Bara extended to help himself up. "A kami, A kami, gomen, gomen!" He stood up straight and looked at Bara with a confused look.

"Huh? What's all that mean?"

"ha~a~tsu? Uh, oh! Right right, Japanese, sorry..."

"That still doesn't tell me what you said..."

"Oh, yeah, I said, oh god, and sorry."

"Oh," He started, scratching the back of his head. "It's okay."

"Why are you up this early?" She asked him, though Eren was thinking the same thing.

"Oh, I was just going to train some."

"Ooh! Can I train with you?" She asked hopefully.

"Mikasa wanted to train with me."

"Unchi!..." She shouted quickly.

"Huh?"

"N-nothing."

"Oh! I need to be going!" He said, beginning to walk away.

"Sayonara!" She said waving.

"Yeah, bye!" Eren said, waving back.

She sighed. "Where to go, what to do..." She stood there, thinking a moment. "Watashi wa pikurusu ni shite imasu. (I am in a pickle.)" She walked down the hallway some more. "Maybe I'll go to Heichou's office...would he be awake? Probably... Maybe he could give me something to do..." She mumbled, walking down the hallway, and dragging her fingertips across the wall.

She knocked twice on the door.

"State your name and business." A stoic voice said from behind the door.

"Tetsu Bara, Heichou! I'm here for some work!" She said excitedly and heard creaking from inside the room. The door was opened by captain Levi, and he stepped out just slightly.

"What? You're here, for work?" He asked quietly.

"Hai," she said, hoping he'd give her something to do. He opened the door slightly more, allowing her in. He walked around his desk and took a seat in his large chair at the head of the desk. "Have a seat," He said, gesturing to a chair at the opposite side of the desk.

"Hai," She said with a smile.

"So, why exactly are you here?" He asked again.

"Here for some work Heichou!"

"Why?" He asked, sounding slightly bored.

"Because, I woke up early, and couldn't fall back asleep."

"So?" He asked, still bored.

"I wanted something to do."

He sighed. "Then just, relax or something, we don't have training for another hour or so."

"That's my problem Heichou, I don't like taking days off, or not having something to do. So could you please give me something to do?"

His eyes went from their cold blank stare to one of more curiosity, and confusion. He raised an eyebrow, and said, "Really? Jeez, you are one-in-a-million, kid. I don't think I've ever met anyone who actually wants work." He stated, slightly surprised. "Well, except Hange, if it involves titans." He mumbled.

He leaned back in his chair, and folded his hands behind his head, "So, what do you want to do?" He asked nonchalantly.

"I don't really care Heichou, chores, training, laps, even paperwork. Whatever you want me to do."

He sighed and leaned forward onto the desk again. "Okay, how about paperwork?" He asked, sliding a stack of papers toward her.

"Hai Heichou!" She said, giving a half-salute. He sighed, and grabbed her hand, lowering it from her chest.

"You don't have to salute me every time I tell you something." He deadpanned.

She looked away slightly. "Gomen..."

He sighed again. "There's no need to apologize for everything either." He said, again lacking emotion.

"Gom- I mean... Hai."

He hummed slightly. "I find your use of both English and Japanese at the same time to be strange..." He whispered.

"I guess it is kind of strange," Bara replied, picking up a pen off the desk, and getting started on the first of many papers.

Levi hummed again. "Sukoshi kimyo."

"A little strange indeed." She said absentmindedly while filling in papers.

"Have you filled in papers before?" He asked in a bored tone while returning to his stack of papers.

"I used to, occasionally."

He hummed. "I hate it. I'm going to have arthritis by the time I'm thirty-five if I keep going at this rate."

She looked up from her papers. "How old are you?"

He smiled slightly and responded; "Guess."

She hummed. "Thirty-three?"

He looked back down at his papers.

"Thirty-two?"

Still no answer from Levi.

"Heichou, are you even going to answer me?"

This time he looked back up at her. "No. But I can tell you you're close."

"Well, if I am, close you're older than me." She said, writing something down.

"Really? How old?"

"Guess." She said with a smile.

He leaned back in his chair and thought a moment. "Twenty-nine."

"What? How did you know?" She asked surprised.

"Read your file."

"Oh right, that."

"But I did have to try to remember it." He said as he returned to writing down numbers, and other random things.

"So what are these papers for?"

"Ask Hange," He mumbled rolling his eyes. "These are a bunch of forms for Hange's collection, and our next missions."

"Hange's... 'Collection'...?" She asked tilting her head.

"Her titans."

"Oh... Eew, she collects them!?"

"Yeah, don't ask me why, but she's fascinated by the things."

"They're just gross..."

"Tell me about it..." He said, rolling his eyes again. "It's all she talks about too."

"How can you even study them? I mean, biology-wise, anyways."

"Well, she's tried, and boy has she gotten a lot of information off of two hundred degrees smoke." He said sarcastically.

She hummed, returning to her writing.

Bara had already finished the first stack, and was working some of Levi's stack of papers, when he asked, "Don't you want to get breakfast before training?" She jumped surprised. "Oh! Kansha! I almost forgot!" She said, running to the door.

"Kansha." She heard his voice say quietly from behind her. She turned to look at him. "Huh?"

"I said, Kansha." He repeated. "Why?" She asked.

"Why?" She asked.

"Becuase you helped me. Kansha."

She smiled. "Mondainai!" She said, just before slipping out of the door.

He leaned back in his chair. "Yeah..." He whispered, folding his hands behind his head and closing his eyes. "We did get a considerably large amount of work done, though." He said, looking at the very small stack of papers left on the desk. "I'll be able to finish this before training the cadets." He said, picking up his pen, and continuing where he left off.

Bara ran down the hall quickly, shuffling past people, and rushing through. She got into the mess hall and looked around the tables. She hummed. "There's an empty one..." She whispered, keeping an empty table in her peripheral vision, so she could sit and eat in peace.

She grabbed her food, and some coffee, and sat down at her empty table. "A~ Heiwa. (Ah, peace.)" She sipped her coffee slowly because it was still hot. "HEY! BARA!" She practically chocked on her coffee. "Ack! **-cough, cough-** Kami, Eren!?" She yelled, trying to clear the scalding coffee from her lungs.

"Sorry, Bara! Did I surprise you?"

She coughed again lightly. "Oh, yeah just a little," she replied sarcastically.

"Sorry about that!"

"No, it's okay." She cursed herself for staying out in the open, where anyone could recognize her. Eren walked over, and a small blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl, followed shortly behind him. "Hey, so, this is Krista! She wanted to meet you!" Eren said excitedly.

He turned to look at her. "Krista, this is Bara!"

Krista ran over and gave Bara a hug. "Ie ie sore wa sore o teishi teishi. (no no stop it stop it.)" The blonde girl looked at her in confusion.

"Huh? What'd you say?" Her voice was so sweet, and her face adorable.

"Uhm, nothing"

"Oh okay!" She said, stepping away. "Nice to meet you!" She said, so cheerfully and happily.

"Nice to meat you too, Tenshi."

"What? But my name's Krista!" Her voice, soft and calm.

"I know," She smiled. "Tenshi means angel."

Krista's face lit up with happiness and she gasped. "You can call me that all you want!" She said with a squeal.

"I like the name Bara! It's pretty!"

"Kansha. Er, I mean, thank you."

Krista smiled. "Your welcome! And I love your hair!" She said, pointing at Bara's short cut, brown curly hair.

"Oh, Thank you." She said, trying to end the conversation there. 'I don't like socialization...' She thought.

"I wish I had hair like that!" She said, getting a little too close for her comfort. Bara gave Eren a death glare for bringing her here, which really freaked him out because she has an icy cold glare, rivaled only by Levi.

"Look, Krista. It's nothing against you, but I don't really like being around people, or socializing. It makes me uncomfortable, and currently, you are invading my personal space."

Her face instantly turned to an apologetic one. "I'm sorry! It's okay! I'll see you later!" She said, walking off with Eren.

She felt compelled to say something back to her.

"Yeah, See you later Tenshi!" She yelled back.

Krista turned and said, "Bye Curly!" With an adorable expression on her face. "Curly?" Eren asked. "It's a nickname!" Krista responded.

Bara smiled. "Now I have a nickname, _great,_ " she said sarcastically as she returned to her coffee.

* * *

"Okay cadets," Levi yelled from the front. "we will be sparring today!" A lot of people groaned in displeasure, especially Jean and Sasha, from what Bara could tell, neither Jean nor Sasha wanted to do anything physical. Her intuition told her to hate Jean, though. "And, being the new cadet, we will give cadet Tetsu the first choice of who she wants to fight."

She didn't even notice that Levi had called her name, she was staring at Jean the whole time. "Cadet. Cadet. Cadet~?"

everyone looked at her, but she didn't respond. He sighed. "Kami, does she have a reboot button? CADET." He yelled.

"Ah!" She said, turning to him.

"Finally..." He said, rolling his eyes. "Cadet, you have the first choice of who to spar with."

She hummed. "Jean." She said, with a creepy smile.

"WHAT!? WHY!?" He yelled from the back.

Levi hummed. "That decision was quick." He raised a hand and said, "The rest of you, PAIR OFF." He yells and everyone quickly found their partner.

'From what I've read in her file, Tetsu is extremely skilled in martial arts... this may actually be amusing.' Levi thought, as Jean warily walked over to where Bara was standing so they could spar.

"Alright, we'll let Tetsu and Kirstein go first." He said while paying close attention to the two. "Start on my mark." He said, and Bara and Jean nodded. "... GO."

In a flash, Bara kneed Jean in the stomach, and he fell to the ground. She placed a foot on his back and put her right hand on her hip. "Watashi no kachi! (I win!) " She said, lifting her left hand in the air.

Levi smiled. 'That was mildly amusing.' He thought.

She took her foot off his back and extended a hand. "Need help up?" She asked. "Fine," Jean mumbled, accepting her hand, and pulling himself up. "This time,

"Fine," Jean mumbled, accepting her hand and pulling himself up. "This time,

"This time, I'll let you attack first." She said, patting him on the back. "uh, okay...?" Jean said, confused.

"uh, okay...?" Jean said, confused.

* * *

No matter what way Jean attack Bara, It was useless, he always ended up on the ground, with her foot on top of him.

"All right, I'm calling it between you two," Levi said, putting out a hand in front of Bara, motioning for her to stop. Levi extended his hand to Jean and helped him up. "I think you've had enough Kirstein." He said, handing him a

"I think you've had enough Kirstein." He said, handing him a handkerchief. "Thank

"Thank you, sir." He said, taking the handkerchief, and wiping off his face. He'd become covered and dirt and his face was slightly bloodied.

"Go spar with someone else," Levi said, motioning with a nod of his head for him to leave. "Jaeger," Levi called.

"Titan boy..." Bara whispered as Eren walked up to them. "Yes?" He said, standing in front of him.

"What do you think? Spar with her."

"Okay, sir."

"Hai Heichou!"

He stepped away and gave them room to spar. "GO," He yelled. Bara didn't move for the first attack. She didn't really like being the first attacker. Eren ran at her headlong, fist raised, and threw a few punches, all of them Bara easily dodged.

Bara didn't move for the first attack. She didn't really like being the first attacker. Eren ran at her headlong, fist raised, and threw a few punches, all of them Bara easily dodged.  
She continued to easily step out of the way of every punch that Eren threw. She took a big jump backward, and maneuvered herself around Eren, to his back, and before he could even register that she was out of his sight, she sent a leg straight into the side of his abdomen. He cringed in pain and fell to the ground.

"Watashi no kachi!" She said, completing the same stance that she had after grounding Jean, with her hand on her hip, and her foot on Eren's back. "Agh! I've bean Jean'd!" He yelled out in anger. "You did NOT just say that!" Jean yelled from across the

"You did NOT just say that!" Jean yelled from across the field.

"Shut up Kerstein." Levi deadpanned.

He instantly shut it after that and continued his sparring.

* * *

Bara walked down the hallway to the wash room, she had gotten filthy during her training, and she was hoping she wouldn't have to speak to anyone on the way, but lord knows people love to talk...

"Hi! Bara?"

She looked at the brunette with glasses, and said, "Sasha...?"

"HAHA! LORD NO! I'm Hange! Nice to meat you!"

She cringed at her volume, far too loud for comfort. "Yeah, Levi... talks about you."

"Oooow, about what? Good things I hope!"

"Karera wa hijo ni waruidesu. (They are very bad things.) "

"I've got no idea what you just said, sweetheart!" She said, far too excitedly.

"Yeah, well, I can talk to you later... Matawa kesshite. (or never.) I have to get a shower, so~..."

"Alright, say no more!" She said, slapping her back rather hard. "I'll talk to you tomorrow!"

"Wait, why?" She asked, hoping that she could get out of any socializing.

"You have a high titan kill count sweetie!" Bara cringed at the nickname. "I want to talk to you about titans!" she said dreamily.

"Leave her alone four-eyes." A stoic, deadpan said from behind.

'Oh, kami, good. Now I don't have to speak to this woman!' Hange turned around to face Levi.

"Aaawww, but Levi!"

"No." He said sternly. "No one wants to hear about your precious pets."

"Hey!" Hange started. "They have names!"

"That just makes them more disgusting." He deadpanned.

"Heichou, Kansha," Bara said.

"Mondainai," Levi replied.

"Heeeeeey, what're you two saying? Are you trying to slip in a private conversation under my nose?"

Levi sighed. "Tetsu called you a banana and I said 'cool'." He said, devoid of emotion.

Hange burst out laughing. "Really!?"

Bara sighed. "No, 'four-eyes'. But we were trying to have a conversation."

"Aww, you guys are no fun."

"Yeah, so go leave us alone," Levi said, pushing Hange away from them.

"Okay okay! No need to push me!"

* * *

"Ah,~ Freshly washed.~" Bara said as she walked back to the mess hall. She felt the emptiness in her stomach as she smelled food. "Mm, smells good!" She said. As she walked through the doorway, she was quickly disappointed with how many people were there. "Should've waited longer if I wanted to be alone..." She murmured, grabbing a tray and some food. She didn't see many tables with a lot of space, and she at least wanted to sit next to acquaintances, so I sat next to Eren and Sasha, and the posse they had with them.

"Hey, Bara!" Krista said, looking elated. Everyone seemed excited to see her. She sighed. "Guess I'm meeting the whole team..." She whispered. "Hi."

* * *

After what felt like an agonizingly long time full of questioning and introducing, she finally got to escape to the silence and comfort of her bedroom. She sighed. "Oi, finally...I thought they were gonna talk to me forever..." She murmured, moving through her room and changing into something more comfortable.

She heard a knock at the door.

"Hm? Who is it?"

"It's Haangeeee."

"ARA MA! (OH LORD!)"

"Still no idea what you're saying, sweetie!"

"I told you to leave her, me, and all my other cadets alone four-eyes. Y'know, better yet, just leave earth alone." She heard that familiar, stoic, voice, call from behind the door.

"C'mon, paaleeeeeeaaase Levi?" Hange whined.

"No." He said sternly.

Hange whined loudly as she stomped away.

"Oyasumi." He said, just before She heard his foot steps fade away.

"Good night..."

* * *

 **(AN) All right! This one is such a good length! A little longer than I anticipated though! Please tell me if you like longer or shorter chapters! I think I'm starting to get used to writing Levi! And sorry for not having many other characters, at least Krista and Hange were introduced, and, because i'm not sure if Ymir is dead or not, sorry Krista... But, I'm not calling her Historia Riess, I'm keeping it at Krista. And when Bara said 'Unchi', she said poo. Also, Oyasumi means 'goodnight'. :) Thank you for reading! 3 Please leave a review!**


	4. Beauty behind the mask

**(AN) Sorry if the name of the last one wasn't very creative! I tried to think of something, but that's all I got! If you have any good ideas, I might be able to use those! Thank you for reading!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Shingeki no kyojin. I do own my OC, Bara Tetsu. You can use her, but she won't like it.**

* * *

Bara sighed loudly. "Doesn't anyone think about other people trying to sleep!?" She said, sitting up in bed. Cadets were walking through the hallways, making far too much noise for her to sleep comfortably, without noise canceling headphones anyway. She opened up her door, just enough for her to lean her head out. "Oi. O shiri no kao!" She yelled, to all the loud cadets, roaming the halls. They all looked on in confusion. "What?" One of them asked. Bara sighed. "Oi. Butt faces." everyone stared at her, just as confused as before. "Do any of you have enough common sense to shut up? It's fricking night. GO. TO. BED." She yelled, slamming her bedroom door.

When she laid down, she heard quiet murmuring, but then everyone left quickly after that. "Kami, finally..." She whispered, finally being able to sleep in peace or sleep at all.

"Kuso, sore wa sore o kuso nashi nashi! (No, no, darn it, darn it!)" Bara yelled, running through her room, quickly pulling on her clothes, and sprinting down the hall. "I'm gonna be late!" She yelled, running outside. "Kami... everyone's already out here..." She said, panting.

Captain Levi turned around, to his lost cadet walking up to him. "Cadet Tetsu." He said coldly. "You're late, why."

"Zan'nen Heichou, watashi wa osoku nemashita. (Unfortunately Lieutenant, I sleep late.) Shikashi soreha chikoku no tame osoreirimasen. (But it does not excuse me for being late.)"

"No, it does not. " Levi said, pointing out to the track. "Go run laps until training is over."

"Hai! Heichou."

She said, running by him, and the rest of the squad.

"Tch...hardly even a punishment she likes it so much." He grumbled, walking back to his squad.

"~Ah~, this is actually nice...peace and quiet, running all by myself." She said, running at a steady pace.

"ARA MA!" Bara yelled, seeing a red-head, stumbling a run. "Sasha! What the heck are you running for!?" She yelled.

"Stea...ling...f-food...oh god." She said, falling forward, on her face. "Sasha!" She yelled in surprise. "Hey, get up." She said, poking her with the tip of her boot. "Get up! Hey!" She said, bending down. She rolled her over onto her back. Sasha was awake, but having trouble breathing. "Sasha? Are you okay?" She asked, trying to pull her up some.

"I-I,...c-can't...b-breath..." She struggled out, taking in huge breaths. "B-bad...r-really...b-bad...c...cramp..."

"Here, I'll help you up. " Bara said, slinging one of Sasha's arms over her shoulder, and hoisting her up. She walked her over to where Captain Levi was standing, keeping a hand on Sasha's chest to keep her from falling.

He turned to face them as they approached. "What are you two doing back here. Neither one of you were told to stop running." He said coldly.

"Heichou, Sasha says she can't breath, and she almost passed out. " Bara said, gesturing with a nod of her head towards Sasha. He glanced down at her and looked back up at Bara, staring daggers at her. "Fine. Take her to the infirmary."

"Hai!" She said with a salute.

Levi sighed, and turned back to the rest of the squad. "Tch...Resume training brats, I didn't tell you to stop."

"Wha-why are you h-helping...me...B-Bara?" Bara looked down at the barely conscious woman leaning against her.

"Why wouldn't I?" She asked, looking forward again.

"I-I... Th-thought... You... Didn't... Like... Me."

"Why would you think that? I just don't like people invading my privacy, or personal space, for no good reason."

"O-oh... Thank... You." She said, weakly smiling.

"Mondainai."

Sasha looked up at her. "What's that mean?"

"No problem," She said smiling.

"Oh," Sasha said with a smile.

They continued walking down the corridors, and they were nearing the infirmary, until- "W-wait!" Sasha yelled.

"What? Something wrong?" Bara asked.

"G-go that way!" She yelled, pointing to the right.

"But, the infirmary is... That... Way..." Bara said, pointing to the infirmary.

"Th... This way..." Sasha said, trying to move in the direction she was pointing.

"Okay..." Bara said, walking that way. "Wait, but that's the-!" Suddenly Bara felt really stupid, and she palmed her face. "Ara ma, are you kidding me?" She asked as Sasha ran into the Mess Hall.

"There's no food!" She yelled, looking around the room.

"First of all, no food will be here until dinner, and second of all, you're just going to get me and you into more trouble than we're already in if you steal more food."

Sasha whined. "B-but-!"

"No Sasha," Bara said sternly, dragging her out of the Mess Hall, and towards the infirmary.

"Fiiiine!" Sasha whined as she was dragged away.

'Great, now I'll really have to hurry back to not get in more trouble...' Bara thought, as she left her at the infirmary.

Bara ran back to the courtyard to see Levi standing there waiting for her. "How is she."

"She's okay Heichou, just out of energy."

He hummed. "Back to your-" Before he could finish, she ran past him to the track, continuing off from where she had stopped. "-running..." He mumbled, watching her run the track. He grimaced. "Did I say stop?" He yelled, not even facing his squad. They all scrambled to continue training.

"~Ah~!" Bara yelled, throwing her hands up. She never knew why, but running always made her feel good, and refreshed, no matter how long she ran. She could run twenty yards or twenty miles, she'd still feel the same. But she did like the tranquility of running, so she could bask in the moment more the longer she ran, so she preferred running for longer rather than shorter periods of time.

As she rounded the courtyard again, she could see Jean staring at her in awe. "Stop mentally undressing me lover-boy!" His face turned a bright red and he looked away.

Levi glared at her, but he smirked, he must've found it funny, but slightly inappropriate. His favorite types of jokes.

"It's what he was thinking." She murmured, as she passed Levi.

"I know." He responded quietly. "I'll be adding more laps for that, though."

"Hai Heichou."

"~LEEEEEEVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII~!"

He flinched and turned around. He growled and coldly said, "What do you want four-eyes?"

"I need my little test subject again!" She yelled, taking long strides over the courtyard, surprisingly fast, towards Eren.

"Fine, take him." He said with a wave of his hand. Eren groaned as he was pulled away by Hange.

"Why do you need to do so many tests?" Eren asked as he was dragged along.

"Every time I learn something new, I need to test it!" She said, with a devilish grin.

Eren groaned again, as they disappeared into the castle.

"Training is dismissed for now. " Levi said, waving off the cadets. "Yes, Sir!" They said with a salute, before leaving.

Bara was about to continue running, but a hand grabbed her shoulder. "Training is dismissed, " Levi repeated. "So you can stop," He said, almost angrily.

"I understand Heichou, but could I continue running?"

He sighed, and turned to walk to the back to the castle. "Fine... But don't stay out her all night. And I'm not going to worry about keeping you from exhausting yourself," He said, walking away.

"Hai Heichou!" Bara said with a salute. he sighed again.

"I told you not to salute to everything I tell you." He said, his back turned from her.

"But, you weren't even looking at... H-hai." She said as she turned to continue running.

He glanced at her as she passed him. "Sukoshi kimyo..." He whispered, entering the castle.

She rounded another lap. "Fifty-five." She said as she looked up at the sky. "It's gotten dark..." She said, slowing down.

She was out of breath now, but she could still keep running if she wanted to. "I should eat something..." She started, walking into the castle. "After all, I didn't get breakfast."

She walked down empty corridors but heard footsteps other than her own. "How was your run?" She heard that signature, bored voice ask.

"It was good." She said, continuing walking.

He hummed. "You really seem to like running, eh?"

"Hai." She said simply.

"Then it doesn't really work as a punishment then, does it?"

"No, It doesn't Heichou."

He hummed again. We'll need to find something else for punishment."

"Hai Heichou." She said, still walking, and almost at the Mess Hall.

"Come to my office after you eat." He said, turning down a corridor, to his office.

"Hai."

"Hey, Bara."

"Hey, loverboy." She said as she sat at a table, with Armin, Mikasa, Eren, Connie, Krista, and Jean.

Jean grumbled something about shutting up, and 'I wasn't thinking that anyways'.

"How was your run?" Jean asked almost sarcastically.

"Fantastic." She said quite simply. "How was your day?" She asked absentmindedly, as she picked up a roll, and bit into it.

"Fantastic. " Jean grumbled as he looked away from her.

"So, you like running, huh?" Eren asked.

"Hai."

"Interesting." Is all he had to say.

"Be careful you don't overwork your body. " Mikasa warned.

Bara smiled. "Thanks. But I've had more rigorous training than you think."

Mikasa half-smiled. "Good to know."

"What kind of training did you have?"

"I'm sorry," Bara started, "What is your name?"

"Oh, I apologize, my name's Armin!" He said, reaching a hand across the table, to shake her hand. "Hi Armin, my name's Bara." She said, accepting the hand. She usually doesn't feel comfortable with physical contact with anyone, but much like Krista, Bara didn't feel any sort of danger from him. Not really that she feels danger from anyone else, though...

"Hi! Curly!" Krista squealed.

Bara chuckled. "Hi, Tenshi." Krista ran around the table and hugged Bara from behind.

"I was afraid you were going to hurt yourself with all that running!"

All of Bara's muscles tensed, and she froze. "Oops!" Krista yelled, backing off of her. "Sorry, I forgot, you don't like physical contact..."

Bara twisted her body slightly, to face her. "It's okay." She said, patting her on the head. "You just surprised me a little."

Krista ran back to her seat by Connie, While Armin asked his question again.

"So, what training did you have?"

'His big blue eyes look so delicate and pretty.' Bara thought as she answered. "I'm sure it was very different from yours, but that's not really important."

"Okay. " Armin said politely. Bara liked him, he didn't pry, and he seemed so polite, so nice. She smiled.

"So, where's Sasha?" Bara asked.

"Oh, well," Connie started. "She was here a little while ago before you were in here, and she got some food, and left to her quarters before Levi could make her do more laps..."

"She's just going to get more laps in the morning," Eren said.

"Better her than me..." Jean mumbled.

"Shut up. " Bara said, smacking him in the back of the head.

"Hey! Ow!" He said, holding the back of his head.

"I didn't even hit you that hard." She mumbled absentmindedly, eating her roll.

"Yeah sure..." Jean grumbled angrily as he turned back to his plate of food.

Bara finished the last of her food and was about to get up and leave when Eren stopped her with a question.

"Why in such a hurry to leave Bara?"

"It's not important," She said, turning to leave.

"Why?" She heard Krista's angelic voice ask.

She turned around and sighed. "Heichou wants to see me in his office."

"Oooooh. " Connie said. Mikasa gave him evil eyes, Krista pushed him, Eren said, "Shut up!" And Jean just stared at him and smiled.

"Why?" Eren asked.

"Not sure," Bara responded.

"Well, you don't want to keep him waiting," Mikasa said.

"Yeah, I'll go. See you guys tomorrow."

"Yeah! I hope you'll actually be training with us then!" Eren said.

Everyone else said bye, except for Jean, who gave her an enthusiastic, "Go rot in he-" Before getting punched in the arm by Eren. "What gives twerp!?" He yelled, rubbing his arm. "Stop picking on Bara, horse-face!" Eren yelled.

"No," Bara yelled over to them. "Huh?" Jean and Eren asked simultaneously.

"It's amusing. Let him continue." She said, just before she disappeared around a corner.

"Sure thing freak show, " Jean yelled back.

Bara walked up to Captain Levi's office door and raised her fist to knock.

"State your name and business. " Levi said, bored as ever before she even knocked on the door.

"Cadet Tetsu. You said you wanted to see me Heichou."

"Come in."

She opened the door, stepped in, and closed it behind her.

"Sit," He said, pointing at a chair, with his pen.

She took a seat, and looked at him, almost eagerly, waiting for him to start.

"So," He started. "What don't you like doing?" He asked, tapping on his desk with his pen.

"Nothing that I can think of Heichou."

He hummed. "Training?"

"I like every part of it. Especially laps. But you already knew that."

"Chores?"

"I like chores as well. I like cleaning things. It makes me feel better."

He smiled slightly. "Paperwork?"

"I don't particularly like it, but I don't hate it."

He sighed. "It is literally impossible to give you any sort of punishment you don't like."

She smiled and laughed slightly.

"What do you like doing? Besides what I've already asked."

"Well, my favorite thing isn't actually running, though I love it, My favorite thing is going on missions."

He hummed. "Interesting." He said, flipping a page of a packet.

"Do you want any help with that Heichou?" She asked pointing at the stack of packets.

"Sure," He said, sliding the stack closer to her. She smiled and pulled off the top packet. "You like work, huh?"

"I do," She answered simply.

He hummed.

They were both silent. The sound of pen scraping across paper filled the otherwise silent room. Bara looked up to see Levi's packet. It was half done, and he was almost completely done with his stack, but that wasn't what she was looking at. She stared at his handwriting. She admired it. She thought it was beautiful. Every letter curving elegantly, adjoining perfectly with the others. She smiled. She wished she could write that beautifully without having to try. Levi looked up, to see Bara staring at him.

"What?" He asked, narrowing his eyes just slightly.

"I'm looking at your handwriting," She said, pointing at a word she found especially elegant.

He looked down at his writing and hummed. He turned the packet around so she could see it properly.

"I guess it's good you think so. I don't really see what's so great about it..." He murmured, twirling his pen between his fingers.

"It's pretty," She said, marveling at the writing on the page. Just as he was about to tell her to give it back, she turned it around, so that it properly faced him. She smiled. "I don't know, I just like it."

He slid the packet back over to himself, mumbling, "Yeah..." He rested his chin in his hand and lazily looked at her as she resumed her writing. He returned to his writing as well. He smiled, now he couldn't help but think it's flattering.

He placed his hand on her packet, inquiring that she stop writing, and turned it around to face him. She tilted her head at him slightly, as he began writing on her packet.

"Did I do something wrong Heichou?" She asked, as he finished what he was writing and turned it back around to her. He slid it back to her, and she smiled.

He wrote her name and she thought it looked beautiful. It looked a lot better than she would ever be able to write her own name. She dragged her fingers across the letters. Her favorite looking letter was 'T', and she liked the big curves of the 's'.

She smiled, and said, "It's beautiful. I wish I could write like this."

"No, don't." He said, still writing.

"What? Why?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Because, writing in your way makes it original. And, it represents you, and your personality."

She looked at him almost in awe. She was surprised to hear him say something like that.

"Besides, you shouldn't want anything about you to be different, it's what makes you, you," He said, almost tiredly.

He glanced up and was a little surprised to see Bara staring at him. "What?" He asked in his hand.

She smiled. "Those are beautiful words!" She said happily.

He looked back down at his paper. He realized that when he'd been writing, he was actually just scribbling little circles of ink on the paper. He sighed, and finished off the packet. He smacked the finished packet onto the pile with the other ones and sighed.

He glanced at the stacks they had left, 'Barely anything...' He thought, reaching for another packet, but stopping, and dropping his pen.

He sighed again, and leaned back in his chair, raking his fingers through his hair and closing his eyes.

"Something wrong Heichou?" Bara asked, looking up from her packet, and tilting her head slightly.

"No..." He said tiredly. "Just tired..." He moved his hands back down to the desk and pushed himself up. "I'm going to get some sleep, you should go," He said, gesturing towards the door.

"Can't I stay, and finish this? I'm almost done!" She said, putting a hand on top of the small stack she had left.

He sighed slightly. "Yeah, sure." He said, walking toward the door that adjoined his office to his bedroom. He placed his hand on the knob, and said, "If you finish all those, bring them to Hange and Mike. But you're free to leave at any time if you so choose." He said, slightly waving his hand, and opening the door.

"Miki? But, I only know where Hange is..."

He turned back around, and said, "No, Mee-kay, and just take them to Hange, she'll show you to his office."

"Okay... Good night."

"Yeah..." He whispered, entering his bedroom, and shutting the door. "I'd give anything for just one good night..." He whispered, walking towards his bed.

She stared at the door, where he'd just been standing. "... He didn't say goodnight back..." She whispered in disappointment, as she returned to her packet that she was almost done with. "Oh well..."

 **(AN) Oh man, I got carried away with this one! I like this one, though! Finally, you'll get to meet Mike! But, I think that's probably all the other characters you'll meet because this is set sometime after the battle with titan Annie, how much after, I'm not sure, but after nonetheless. So that means Annie, Marco, Ymir, Oluo, Petra, Bertholdt (Sorry if that isn't spelled right, you know who I mean.) That's just a few, won't be here. Thank you for reading! please leave a review!**

 **PS: Just in case you didn't remember, 'Sukoshi kimyo', means 'a little weird'.**


	5. Only at night

She stared at the door, where he'd just been standing. "...He didn't say goodnight back..." She whispered in disappointment, as she returned to her packet, that she was almost done with. "Oh well..." She said, finishing the last packet of her stack, and sliding over Levi's. She marveled at his handwriting one more time, and smiled. She thought back to the things he said. "Pretty words to match a pretty face..." She whispered, but upon realization of what she'd just said, she quickly covered her mouth with her hands.

'What did I just say!?' She thought, shaking her head. 'No thoughts like that, think about who you're talking about!' She thought.

"~Ah~, finally done!" She said with a smile. She glanced up at the clock on the wall, and hummed. "It's been forty-five minutes, Heichou will probably already be asleep." She said in a hushed tone. She smiled. "With how early he's up, it's good that he's actually getting sleep, though he always seems tired..." She said, gethering the two big stacks of packets into one bigger stack, and heaving them up. "Ara ma! These are heavy!" She whispered. "At least there isn't that much distance to cross..." She whispered, gently kicking the door open, and then closed.

She walked down the halls, and made her way to Hange's office, luckily, before her arms gave out. She tapped Hange's office room door with the tip of her foot, and hoped that she'd be awake this late. "Helloooooooo~? Who is iiiitt~?" Bara cringed at her volume. She mentally cursed herself for actually deciding to take these to Hange's office, and, socialize, with her. She shivered, and said, "It's cadet Tetsu-" She heard Hange squeal from inside. "-And, Kami... I have the-"

She violently swung the door open. "Hi sweetie! What've you got for me!?"

She flinched, and continued, "These are the papers that you and Mikey needed filled. Me and Levi finished them, and i'm delivering them. Watashi wa shitaku arimasen... ( I don't want to... )"

Hange laughed. "Come in! Come in! Don't be shy!"

"Ara ma..." She mumbled. "Here." She said, sliding the top half of the packets into her hands. "Those are the packets you needed, now, could you point me to Mikey's office?"

"Sure sweetie," She said, placing a hand on Bara's shoulders. "But his name isn't Mikey. It's Mee-kay." She pointed out.

"Mikey Mee-kay, whatever, can you just tell me where his office is?"

"Yes, It's two corridors down, and it's the farthest door on the right."

"Thanks." She said, swiftly exiting.

"No prooobleeeeeeeem~!"

She shivered again. "That woman's voice stabs painfully into my brain every time she speaks." She said, walking by a corridor, and stopping at the second one over, turning, and walking down it.

She reached the end of the hall, and tapped the door with her foot. The door creaked, and was slowly opened, to reveal the frame of a large, agrogynous, man.

"Uhm...Mikey?" She asked, looking up at him.

"No." He said tiredly. "Mee-kay."

"Right." She said, rolling her eyes. "Here, these are yours." She said, shoving the packets into his arms.

"Thanks." He mumbled, as he walked back to his desk. "Hey," He started, turning around to look at Bara. "I don't recognize you." He said, studdying her.

"I'm the new cadet, Cadet Tetsu." She said, with a small salute.

"Ah," He said, "Nice to meat you, as you know, my names Mike." He said, extending a hand to hers. She took his offered handshake, and flinched, when it was surprisingly strong.

"Oh, sorry." He said, loosening his grip.

"Okay, bye." She said, turning to leave.

"Yeah." Mike said, as he walked into what Bara presumed was his bedroom.

She quickly moved down the hallways and corridors, back to her room. She passed by Levi's office, and stopped for a moment. 'I wonder how well he's sleeping...' She thought, as she continued to her room. 'Guess it doesn'y really matter.'

"Ara ma i'm tired!" She yelled as she fell into bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

Levi sat in bed, not sleeping. He just stared at the ceiling, and tried to clear his head, though that was virtually impossible. Unwanted thoughts and memories invaded his mind the most at night. especially when he was trying to sleep. He sighed and closed his eyes.

He just tried focusing on ambient things. Like the sound of his own breathing, quiet crickets chirping outside, the wind hitting the side of the castle, the light fading of Bara's footsteps. He opened his eyes again, and sat up. He looked around his room, and felt the emptiness of it, the coldness, of it. He didn't like it. This empty, cold, feeling, that seemed to follow him, and show up in every room he found himself alone in.

He brought his knees up, and brought his hands through his hair. "I could make myself some tea..." He muttered to himself. He closed his eyes again, and breathed through his nose, 'in and out, in and out, in and out.' was all he thought, trying to distract his mind, and relax. He lay back down, his arms sprawling across the bad, as he said, "I've never been very good at relaxing..." He whispered.

He dragged his hands across the sheets, and back to his side. He sighed, and blew a strand of hair out of his face. "I'm going to need to cut my hair soon."

Hours that felt like days, passed, and finally, his eyelids felt heavy, his heartbeat slowed, the rise and fall of his chest, became more drawn out, with longer impasses. He slowly drifted off into sleep, but it was anything but peaceful. It always is. He can never relax.

* * *

Levi walked down a long path through a wooded area. A strong gust of wind rustled through the trees, and he was hit with the chill. He crossed his arms to keep warm, and pulled his emerald green cape to cover his arms more. He glanced around at the trees and bushes surounding him. "It's, peaceful here..." He whispered, listening to the sound of leaves and twigs gently crunching under his feet.

He looked up as he'd come to clearing. Light shone through the trees, and shimmered on the dew covered leaves. He stepped through and over some bushes, he didn't recognize his surroundings, but somehow he knew where he was going. He continued down a now more open path, with less trees to block the shining sun that relieved him of the morning cold. He looked up at the sky, as clouds shifted, covering the sunlight, and bringing the forest back to a dull, lifeless grey.

The trees opened fully, onto the bank of a river, it's contents flowing in through a waterfall about five meters tall. The river gently and beautifully flowed over rocks of all colors and sizes. He bent over, and ran his fingers through the water, feeling the gentle cool, on his finger tips. He smiled as he stood up. He loved to see the peace and tranquility of nature.

He sighed, and looked down the river. It flowed a long way. He walked along the edge of the river, listening to the sound of the flowing water. He loved this. He loved nature, and it's beauty, peace, and tranquility. But nature also has beasts that disrupt the natural beauty of the land, and leave an immense imprint on its inhabitants.

Titans.

He hated them.

Titans.

He even hated the word.

Titans.

He wanted to eradicate the world of these disgusting creatures.

Titans.

He gritted his teeth as he stared at the ground, his legs unconsciously stopped moving.

Titans.

Titans.

Titans.

This word, and all the horrible things that came along with it, kept running through his mind.

Titans.

Titans.

Titans.

He brought his hands to his head, and gripped his hair.

Titans.

"No. Stop it."

Titans.

"Stop it."

Titans.

"STOP IT!" He yelled, trying to shake the thoughts, but they remained.

Titans.

Titans.

Titans.

Titans.

Titans.

Titans.

"TITANS!" He screamed in anger, his knees buckling underneath of him, making him hit the ground hard, and land on his hands and knees. He slammed his head against the ground hard, trying to distract his mind with pain, to make the memories go away.

Titans.

"No."

Titans.

"Please..." He pleaded weakly.

Titans.

"NO!" He yelled, slamming his fist against the ground repeatedly. "STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!" He screamed, enunciating every word with a slam of his fist.

Titans.

He fell back on his knees, bringing his head up, to look at the bleak, sad sky. "This is hell." He said. "The earth is mocking my pain." He said, his voice wavering. "This is my own personal HELL." He yelled, slamming his head down onto the ground with a lot more force than before.

He lifted his head back up and cried out in pain. His entire body shook, and his arms threatened to give out. He was falling deeper, into the pain filled memories that already consumed his mind, and destroyed his soul.

He didn't even hear the footsteps approaching him, until they were right next to him. He glanced over, and saw, something that shattered his heart. They leaned over, and placed a hand on Levi's shoulder.

Her golden-brown hair, and beautiful brown eyes reminded him of the intense beauty of autumn, and the death filled horrors that haunt his past. He struggled to fight back tears, as she brought her face closer to his.

"Levi?" Her voice was beautiful, and comforting. "Are you okay?"

"P-Petra." He wept out, tears filling his eyes. He was surprised at how distraught he sounded.

She looked like an angel, her beautiful pale skin, shining under the small amount of sunlight peaking through.

"Levi?" She asked again. "Are you okay?"

He leapt forward and held her. He just wanted to hold her in his arms as long as he could. He wanted to feel her sweet, warm embrace. He wanted to see her again. But he knew that couldn't happen. He knew he'd have to live through the same thing every night.

Destroy his own heart and soul by dwelling on the fact that his mistakes killed his friends.

Suffer the pain of seeing them again, and then watching them die all over again.

This was his own personal hell.

Every night.

Every day.

He couldn't escape these thoughts memories and emotions.

In the day, he'd just repress them, because he couldn't let them cloud his judgment when other lives where at stake.

But at night, they were all his mind had left to turn to, and he couldn't escape them.

Not now.

Not ever.

His mind would slowly eat away at what little hope he had left in humanity, and eventually, life wouldn't even be worth living.

"Levi?" Petra asked, slightly returning the hug.

He cried into her shoulder, and tried to hold on to her, but felt her slipping.

"No." He said, as she left his arms.

She stood. "Levi, are you okay?"

He could never remember her saying, or asking anything different. It was one of the things he remembered her voice saying the most.

"No." He shook his head. "I'll never be okay."

"Levi..." She started, "That's not true."

He looked up at her, tears clouding his eyes, as she bent down again.

"You will be okay again."

He slumped his shoulders, and his head went slack. "No, I won't."

She grabbed his chin, and lifted up his head. "Yes you will."

"How?" He yelled. "How, when what little faith, and hope I have left in humanity, is slowly being ebbed away, by the fact the I let all the people I care about die!?"

"It's not your fault..." She said.

He slapped away the she still held on his chin. "Yes it is! And if someone dies, and it was my decision that got them killed, I have to leave with that weight leaching away at my sanity for the rest of my life!"

He slammed his fist on the ground, and looked away, closing his eyes.

Petra stood up, and slowly walked away from him, backwards.

"I'll never forget you. Or the pain of losing you." He said, his voice hoarse.

"Please, just don't cry over me, remember me fondly."

That was all she said, before she was gone.

He gripped the ground underneath him, as more tears fell.

"This is my own personal hell."

* * *

Levi woke up on a tear soaked pillow, his heart beating fast, with a blinding migraine. He sat up and looked out the window, to see a bleak night sky. He grimaced, and got out of bed, wiping off his face.

"I'm never going to get a full night's sleep..."

* * *

(AN) I thought it would be best to spend almost the entire chapter on his nightmare, I also thought it would make it a little more dramatic to end it there. Thank you for reading! Please leave a review! 3


	6. Heichou?

Levi walked out of his bathroom, waist wrapped in a towel. He sighed as he used a second, smaller towel, to dry his hair. "I really should cut my hair today." He said tiredly. He draped the towel over his shoulders, and ran his hands through his hair.

He looked down at his bed, messy and un-made. He sighed and pulled the sheets into their rightful place. He glanced out the window again. The sky was a bright orange, with a streak of pink clouds. He lowered his eyebrows. "Beautiful day." He said, rolling his eyes. He truly does appreciate nature, and finds it beautiful, but sometimes it just makes him angry.

He pulled the towel off his waist, and threw it into his hamper, while walking over to his dresser. He pulled out his uniform, and grimaced at it. He threw it back into the drawer, and slammed it closed forcefully. He opened another drawer, and pulled out a button up purple shirt, and some black pleated pants.

He rubbed his temples as he pulled out the clothes and threw them on the bed, closing the drawer.

"One day off isn't too much to ask." He mumbled, buttoning up his shirt.

Bara sat up in bed, and stretched her arms. "~Ah!~ Morning!" She hummed, looking out at the beautiful pale pink sky. This was her favorite time of day, dawn. She loved this time. This was when all the animals were just waking, when the sun is still rising above the horizon.

She smiled, and got up, stretching her arms and legs again. She walked to her dresser, and quickly pulled on the clothes sitting on top of it. She pulled on her boots, and was about to put on her 3DMG harness, but a knock at her door stopped her.

"Yes? Who is it?"

"Levi."

She was slightly surprised, but answered, "Yeah, come in! It's unlocked."

He slowly pushed the door open, and stepped in slightly. His tired face scared her, he usually does look tired, but now he just looked absolutely miserable. She looked at what he was wearing, 'Casual clothes?' She thought, as he spoke.

"Tetsu..." He started, tiredly. "We'll have the day off today." He said, his face showing distress.

"Heichou? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He said with no sincerity.

"You look tired."

"I am." He stated simply.

She rubbed her arm slightly. "So, we have the day off?"

"Yes."

"Is it okay with everyone?"

"...Y-yeah, well, it will be..." He said with a wave of his hand.

"What do you mean?"

"They won't deny us of it. We've been training our cadets, and ourselves, into the ground for the last month. Plus we have a mission coming soon, so we'll need our energy." He said, turning to leave.

"So, no training..." Bara repeated.

"No." Levi said with a sigh. "But just as much paperwork as ever..."

Bara smiled. "I'll help with some of that!" She said cheerily.

Levi smiled. "Good to know." He said, as he closed the door.

Bara smiled, and pulled off her uniform, and grabbed something more comfortable from her dresser.

"Oi, spread the word too." Levi said, as he walked down the hall.

Bara jumped slightly. "Hai Heichou!" She said with a smile.

Levi walked down the halls, to Erwins office. 'It's actually been quite a while since I've been to his office.' He thought, opening Erwin's door.

"Levi?" Erwin asked, as Levi let himself in, and sat down.

Erwin chuckled. "You've never been much of one to knock."

"Yeah well, lock the door then." He said, boredly, his head resting in his hand.

Erwin put his hands up slightly. "Hey thats not what I was saying." He said, his eyes closed, smiling.

"That's awfully casual attire you have on there Levi."

Levi rolled his eyes. "Tch...I'm taking a day off." He said, getting back up.

"That's fine." Erwin said dismissivly. "Just be sure you get your squad ready for the upcoming mission."

"Yeah." Levi said, waving his hand at Erwin. He closed the door, and walked back to his office.

Bara walked down each hall, knocking on everydoor, saying, "Training's off." She did this for a few minutes, before she was sure she was done. She left for the mess hall, satisfied.

"Hey Bara!" Eren yelled, catching up.

"Hi Eren." She said, turning her head to look at Eren, while still walking.

"Trainings off?"

"Ye-" She started, but was cut off by bumping into someone. Eren looked past her to the peson she walked into, like he'd seen a ghost.

She turned around, to see who she hit. "Oops, sorry Heichou." She said quietly."

He glared at Eren.

"Wha-what'd I do?" Eren asked Bara, after Levi walked away.

"You were loud. Heichou is tired."

He looked dumbfounded. "How do you know that?"

She shrugged. "He told me. How else?"

Armin and Mikasa joined up with them shortly after.

"Hi." Mikasa said, quiet as usual.

"Hello, Mikasa, Armin." Bara greeted.

They walked to the hall, Bara politely listening to how Eren's day went yesterday.

"Yeah well, Hange's completely obsessed with you." Bara said to Eren.

"Yeah, but I mean, she doesn't have to do tests on me literally every day, or every other day."

Bara shrugged. "Maybe she has a crush on you."

Eren's face turned red. "WHAT!? ARE-ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? I'm sixteen!" He yelled in exhasperation.

Bara shrugged again. "So?"

"So, she's like, forty!"

Bara burst out laughing. "Forty!?"

Eren became very flustered. "Forty, twenty, I don't know! But she's too old for me!"

Bara wiped away tears, and said, "Yeah, I have a feeling she is obsessed with you in more than one way." She said smiling.

Eren frowned. "No way." He said looking away.

Bara smiled. "You know I only mess with you because I love you."

Eren smiled.

Armin walked next to Bara. "You know, you've opened up a lot since we met you." He said, his big blue eyes shining brightly.

She brought up a hand, and scruffed his blonde hair. She smiled. "I like people, just not new people."

Armin nodded. "I've known Mikasa and Eren for as long as I can remember!"

Bara weakly smiled. "Yeah..."

"What's wrong?" Armin asked, noticing her sudden change.

"N-nothing." She said dismissively.

Armin shrugged it off, seeing I didn't want to talk about it.

"Hey look there's Krista!" Eren said, pointing into the Mess Hall, they had just reached.

"Hello!" Krista said happily, waving above her head.

"Hi!" Eren yelled, running into the Mess Hall.

"Hi, Tenshi." Bara said, walking in behind Eren, Mikasa, and Armin.

"Hi Curly!"

"Seriously, I don't get it, why do you call her that? I mean, her hair isn't even curly..." Eren said.

"She saw me in the morning. It's curlier before I really brush it out, or after training." She said, running her hand across her short ponytail.

Eren hummed.

She took her hair out of it's ponytail, and ran her fingers through it.

"See?" She asked.

Eren hummed. "Yeah, I can see it."

Sasha and Connie were loudly talking about a joke no one even remembered they'd been talking about it so long, and Armin was talking to Bara about how to read maps, something she'd wanted to know for a while, and Mikasa and Eren where sitting and chatting idley in the corner of the room. Occasionaly Jean would approach Bara, Krista, or Mikasa, trying to hit on them.

Jean began walking up to Bara, who was staring down at a map that Armin was teaching her to read. "I swear, come flirt with me one more time kirshtein, i'll kick you so hard where the sun doesn't shine."

Jean instantly flinched and stopped walking. He quickly turned on his heals and walked away, sitting in the corner of the room.

Bara stared daggers at him, as he nervously ate in the corner.

Bara walked back down the hallway, alone.

"Man..." She sighed. "They're fun, just a little, annoying, and loud."

She walked the rest of the distance to Levi's office, and knocked twice.

"Come in." He said tiredly.

She opened the door, and was slightly surprised by what she saw.

Levi held his head in his hand, rubbing his temples. His desk was uncharacteristically messy, with papers strewn about, not in their usual stacks, but just randomly laid out. Like he was going to go through thrm, but got frustrated, and left them.

"Hi, I came to help with the-"

"I know." He interupted.

She walked across the room and sat down.

"It's absolute pandamonium in the Mess Hall. Everyone is extremely excited about training being-"

Levi held up a hand and, "Shhh."

She looked at him slightly confused.

"It, it's not you, it's just," He groaned in pain, rubbing his head with both hands. "I have a terrible migraine."

"Oh, gomen." She said softly.

"Don't apologize for everything."

She smiled slightly. "Hai."

Levi placed both hands on the desk, and gently laid his head down on the cool wood. He felt the painful pounding in his head, and groaned quietly.

Bara began gently stacking the papers, and packets. Levi looked up, and smiled slightly.

"This isn't like me." He started. "I usually have everything so organized..."

"It's okay Heichou." Bara said sincerely. "I get it..." She said looking off to the side. "Probably more than you know..." She murmurred.

He wasn't going to ask about that last part. Not right now anyways. He raked his fingers through his hair, remembering he had to cut it, and saying, "Thanks..."

She smiled. "Mondainai."

He weakly smiled back. She could see the tiredness on his face.

"You can go back to sleep if you want."

"I wish I could..."

Bara tilted her head slightly. She didn't understand what he meant. She didn't feel it was her place to ask though.

Levi stood up. "Tea?" He asked, walking to the corner of the room.

Bara hummed questioningly. "What?"

"I asked if you want tea."

"Oh sure. I'll make it if you-"

He held up a hand, inquiring she stop. "No, it's fine."

"Oh, okay." She said, returning to stacking papers.

Quiet trickling, and scratching on paper were the only noises in the room. Bara liked this, the healthy silence between her and Levi.

"Here." He said, extending a full tea cup towards her.

"Thank you."

"Yeah." He mumbled as he sat down.

Bara tilted her head slightly. "Why do you hold your cup like that?" She asked, still talking quietly.

He looked at his hand. He held his cup by the rim, with his hand above it. He looked back up at her boredly.

"Is it really important?" He asked tiredly.

"No, I guess not. Just curious." She said above her cup, just before sipping her tea.

The look in his eyes changed slightly, Bara couldn't tell what to, but it looked, sad.

She looked away out the window. "It looks, elegant."

"You, wouldn't understand." He said, putting down the cup, and pushing his hair out of his face.

Bara smiled weakly, reflecting on her past. "I think I might." She said looking into her cup. She looked back up at Levi.

Levi looked down at the table, and all the paper work still left to do. "Need any help with that?"

Bara smiled as he dragged some of the papers toward him. "Yeah."

He picked up a pen and started, as she continued sipping on her tea.

She set down her cup, and continued where she left off. "Thank you again, Heichou."

Levi sighed, and dropped his pen. "Would you stop calling me that?" He asked annoyed.

Bara tilted her head. "Why?"

"It means Lance Corporal, or Lieutenant. And neither of those are my actual rank."

"Then, what should I call you?"

"I don't know. Call me Kyaputen, Rida, Sa, I don't really care, just not Heichou. It's a name of a different rank, and it's starting to get on my nerves. (Kyaputen,Captain. Rida,Leader. Sa,Sir.) "

Bara nodded. "Sorry! Hai Sa!"

He picked his pen back up, and twisted his wrist, popping it.

Bara took another sip of her tea, watching Levi as he wrote. She smiled onto the brim of her cup. She still likes to admire his handwriting. So elegant.

He glanced up at her. "It's rude to stare." He deadpanned.

She looked down quickly, returning to her writing. Levi smirked. "Still like my writing?"

She nodded. "I think it's elegant."

He hummed. "You said that already."

"Yeah...I guess I did."

He finished his tea, just as Bara finished hers.

"How's the tea?" Levi asked, still staring down.

"It's good."

"Really?" He asked, looking up. "I like it very bitter."

"I enjoy it bitter as well." She said with a smile. "Why? Were you expecting me not to like it?"

"Slightly."

She smiled.

Bara leaned back in the chair, stretching out her arms and stiff fingers. "Man, we've been writing for hours!" Bara said, leaning back forward, and correcting her posture.

Levi had just been resting his head in his left hand, and absentmindedly scribbling down little circles, or random words, not even able to focus enough to finish this packet. He'd been doing that for the past hour, while he let Bara finish the rest.

He was sure she noticed that that was all he was doing.

She smiled, and said, "They're all finished Sa! I'll take them down to Hange's and Mike's office!" She placed her hands on the stack, and was about to pick them up.

Levi put his left hand on her wrist, keeping her there. "Thank you." He whispered.

"Yeah, no problem Sa."

He looked up at her, slightly sad looking. She had noticed that look in his eyes earlier. She didn't want to question it though.

He pulled his hand away, and looked out the window.

"Mata ne, Sa."

He smiled slightly, still looking out the window. "Be ready for the mission in two days. We'll be going on a supply pick-up."

She nodded, and heaved the stack into her arms. "Sure thing Sa, Sayonara!"

He lost his smile. "Yeah."

Levi walked to Erwins office, gently pushing the open door. The room was empty. He walked to the desk, and gently ran his fingers across the wood. Seeing this room completely empty, void of all warmth, it made him feel cold inside.

His face turned cold, and sad. He stared at the empty chair. He sighed, and looked out the window. The sky was clear of clouds, and the stars were beggining to shimmer through. He looked back down at the chair.

He felt like the memories of his fallen comrades would follow him in there empty rooms, or even their possessions. And just being in the presense of these things, made him feel cold, and empty inside, like all the warmth he has left in his body is being drained out by these horrific thoughts and memories.

He sighed again, and turned to leave. Just before he closed the door, he turned to look over his shoulder. "Y'know, I feel like you're watching me everytime I come into your office. You never did like it when someone was in her without your permission..." He said, with a sad smile, walking out, and closing the door.

When he made his way back to his office, he sat down in the large chair in front of his desk, and fell soundly asleep for once.

(AN) I've decided how far ahead it'll be! One year. And, yes, Erwin, Marco, Ymir(?), Eld, And a lot of others. are dead. I bet at the beginning you thought that Erwin was somehow alive, while Ymir and Marco were dead, and It was a year ahead, well you were wrong. I wanted it to seem like Levi is just a little screwed in the head (Cuz' he is) and would have hallucinations of talking to his boss about having time off. He's just like that. That's how he greives. You'll learn more about it soon! (My version/interpretation).

Mata ne, See you.

Thank you for reading! 3 Please leave a review! 


	7. Change of routine

**(AN) I'm excited to be doing a mission soon, I know there will be a lot of detail too, so it will either be a really long chapter, or a two part-er. Thank you for reading!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin. Neither do you. Unless you are Hajime Isayama, in which case, thank you for reading. I do own my OC, she is very loyal, and house trained.**

* * *

Levi woke up sitting stiffly in his chair, in the middle of the night. He looked out the window, seeing the midnight sky, painted with bright little stars. He sighed and stood up.

"I'm never going to get a full nights sleep."

He grabbed a candle and lit it so that he could at least have some light. Though he didn't actually have anything to do, he and Bara had already finished all the paperwork Mike and Hange had given them, and he still had quite a few hours to wait.

He sighed and paced around his office. He was thinking he could maybe cut his hair like he wanted to, but with the low lighting he'd probably screw it up and cut it unevenly.

He could try to go back to sleep, but the fact that he only ever gets a few hours of sleep anyway, and he was already up, would make that almost completely impossible.

He walked into his bedroom to change, still slightly feeling the pounding in his head every time he bent over.

He walked back into his office and sat down at his desk, and laid his head down, putting his hands either side of his head. He sighed into the cool wood and grabbed a piece of paper and pen, quickly scribbling something down, and throwing the pen away from himself.

He folded the paper a few times, and grabbed his emerald green cloak, draping it over his arm, not putting it on yet, and walked out the door.

He slid the piece of paper between the door and the doorframe of Bara's room.

He swiftly left to go outside.

"Some fresh air will be nice." He said to himself as he walked outside.

* * *

Bara, grumbled as she got out of bed. She stretched as she walked to her dresser. "Training today. That's nice, I guess..."

She pulled on her uniform and strapped on her 3DMG harness. She sighed as she stretched her legs. She could always take her time with getting up and getting dressed because she would always wake up early. Today was especially early. She would have too much time.

She walked to her door and opened it. She hummed questioningly when she saw something fall. "What's this?" She asked as she bent down to pick it up.

"A note?" She asked, unfolding the paper.

It reads:

 _Tetsu, if you're going to look for me, I am in the courtyard. Don't tell any of the other_ brats _though, I don't like them and they're loud. You can come if you want, and I could probably use someone to keep me company for a few hours. I should be under the tree near the center of the courtyard. ~Levi_

She smiled, and slowly dragged her fingers across the paper. She folded it back up and set it on her dresser.

"I guess I'm going to the courtyard." She said heading out of the door.

Levi leaned against a tree, his eyes closed, enjoying the nice shade underneath of it. He had only been there for about an hour and expected it to be longer before Bara got his note.

"Kon'nichiwa Sa!" Bara greeted while waving an arm over her head, and striding across the courtyard toward him.

Levi smiled, keeping his eyes closed. When she walked up to him, she noticed this. "What?"

Levi opened his eyes and looked up at her.

"Nothing. It's just interesting. You have got to be the only cadet I know, that would eagerly take the opportunity to spend four hours with me."

Bara smiled. "I think a lot of people just don't understand you and think you're intimidating. Especially for your size."

"I feel like I should take that last part as an insult of some kind."

"And there's your sense of humor that people don't understand." She said, brushing off what Levi said completely.

Levi smiled, and said, "There used to be people who understood my humor. More at least..."

Bara nodded slightly. "I've lost a lot of friends too. Almost my entire squad."

Levi looked up slightly surprised.

"Yeah... It was, very bad. I-I, kind of feal like, it was, my fault, because, I should've been with my squad, I should've been with them to help... I...I should've..."

Levi hesitated to ask, "What happened?"

"Group of abnormals caught us off guard. "

Levi nodded his head.

"After the whole incident wasn't much better though...I've kind of got, I guess, post traumatic stress disorder."

Levi looked at her, as she continued.

"That's why, I don't like not working. I don't want to feel useless again, and, I, I don't want to let people get hurt. So I want to keep training. To help keep people safe..."

Levi shifted his weight off the tree, and back onto his feet, and he moved toward Bara.

"But, you're not useless. Your file says you were one of the-"

"But it's not about the file." She interrupted.

"Does the file say how many of my comrades I let die? Does it say when I'll stop feeling guilty? Or when I'll even be able to hear or think of the word titan without feeling like I'm going to throw up?"

Levi was heavily caught off guard. He didn't expect something like this from her.

She looked away, fighting back tears. "G-gomen..."

Levi sighed, mentally scolding himself. "No, don't apologize...It's my fault, I shouldn't have asked about it. It wasn't my place to ask. Sorry."

She looked up at him surprised. She hadn't excpected him to apologize. "I just," He started. "I didn't excpect that." She looked back down, diverting her eyes from his gaze.

"N-no, don't feel sorry for me. I don't want anyone feeling pity for me."

He stepped a little bit closer.

She looked back up at him and smiled weakly.

"What?" Levi asked, though glad she was now smiling, instead of crying.

She wrapped her arms around Levi's neck and pulled his head into her chest.

"You're short."

"I've noticed." He said, muffled by her bosom.

She smiled and leaned her head on his.

"Can you let go of me?"

"Hang on."

"I'm your captain, you can't just tell me to-"

She tugged him a little harder into her body, almost knocking him off his feet. He sighed and let his arms fall to his sides.

He actually found it kind of funny as well, because the height difference between them meant that he barely had to bend his neck for it to be in her chest.

Bara loosened her grip on Levi, and he straightened out, standing straighter. Bara adjusted his cravet slightly. "Oops, messed this up."

Levi smiled slightly. "You know you're the only one who would ever have enough gall to do that? Not even jaeger would do something like that."

She smiled and patted his chest. "Well, thank you for letting me do that."

"Yeah." He said, walking back over to his tree. "But I might need to give you cleaning duties for that." He said, leaning back his head against the tree, and closing his eyes.

"I wouldn't mind that..." She said looking up. "As long as I get to do it with you." She said smiling.

Levi smiled. "I'd probably end up helping. Everyone knows I love things to be clean."

They stayed in silence for a while, just looking out at the fields, or occasionally looking at each other.

Bara had just been staring at the sky for a while, as the sun slowly rose.

"I'm five foot three."

She hummed questioningly, as she looked down at him.

"Five foot three, That's how tall I am."

"Oh. I'm Five foot Ten. I guess I'm also kind of tall, so it makes you seem shorter!" She said smiling.

He smiled. "Taller than you look."

"I bet I'm heavier than I look too. Take a guess!"

He hummed, and stroked his chin. "Now that, I'm not sure of..." He mumbled.

"That's why you're supposed to guess."

"Alright...I'd say around, one-hundred, fifteen, maybe twenty."

She nodded. "Close. One-twenty-five."

Levi nodded. "You are heavier than you look."

"Muscle." She said.

"What about me?" He asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Your turn to guess."

"Oh, hmm... One-thirty?"

He smiled. "One-forty-three. You were close."

"Oh, but I didn't get within ten pounds..." She said pouting.

He leaned forward off the tree slightly. "That's more than most people would've guessed."

She shrugged. "Probably."

She and Levi maintained a very silent stead for quite a while, until the peaceful silence was disrupted by, "Hey, Bara! What're you doing out here in the-" Eren started yelling, but stopped seeing who she was standing next to.

"Wha...?"

"What? What's wrong?" Bara asked, slightly confused at his behavior.

"What're you doing out here with captain Levi?"

"Can't a cadet and captain be within one-hundred feat of each other aside from training?" Levi asked rhetorically.

"Y-yeah..." Eren stuttered.

* * *

"Springer! What's your problem?" Levi yelled as Connie zipped back.

"Sorry, sir! I didn't have enough momentum!" Connie yelled, soluting.

"Yeah well do that out in the field and you'll get yourself killed."

"Sorry, sir!"

"Tch...useless brats."

"~Wooo-hoooo~!" Bara yelled as she swung through the air, towards a titan decoy.

"Here I come!" Her favorite thing to do was kill titans and use her 3D maneuver gear.

"Maybe you should learn a lesson from her." Levi said pointing at Bara, flying toward a titan decoy.

"Woah!" Connie said, as her blades came into contact with the artificial nape, and she easily flung herself toward another fake titan, slashing it's nape in an instant.

"Wooo-Hoooo!" She yelled happily, landing next to Connie.

"What?" She asked slightly out of breath. Because Connie was staring at her.

"You're awesome!"

"Eh...Thanks, peach-fuzz."

Levi chuckled quietly. "Get out of here springer."

"Yes, sir!" He yelled, soluting, and shooting an anchor into a tree, allowing him to fly off.

"So, what'd he do to screw up?" Bara asked, wiping a bead of sweat off her forehead.

"The idiot can't even properly take out a titan decoy..." Levi said, rubbing his temples. "I sware to god I'm going to lose my sanity to these brats."

"Maybe I could teach him a little something."

"He'll die."

"Probably." She said, imagining what it'd be like trying to teach Connie her rotating slice technique.

"I don't think I've seen you attack a titan yet, though, Sa."

"Let's just hope you won't have to."

"Doesn't everybody?"

"I know I do." He said, walking past her to check on the other cadets. "Oi! No slacking brats!"

"I guess that counts for me too, Sa?"

He waved his hand at her, telling her, "You don't need the training, but do whatever." With that, he threw himself in the direction of the cadets via 3D manuever gear.

Bara shrugged and flew in the direction of another titan decoy.

* * *

"Aahhh, How do you do it?" Connie asked.

"It took a lot of practice." Bara deadpanned, trying to end the conversation.

"Teach me!" Sasha yelled, practically jumping over Connie.

"It's my own technique."

"So?" Sasha whined.

"So, come up with your own technique." Bara said, sheathing her blades, and walking away.

"No fair!" Sasha whined.

Bara sighed. "Kami, Braus, get over it."

* * *

She walked back to the Mess Hall, keeping a good distance between her and Sasha, so she couldn't ask her more questions.

'Leave me alone, leave me alone, leave me alone.' She thought as she sat at a table, hoping to be left alone.

* * *

Bara walked down the hall to Levi's office. She lifted her fist to knock, but the door opened before she could.

"Oh?" She peeped, as Levi stood in the open doorway, craddling papers in his left arm. He hummed. "Your here."

"I am." She responded. "Do you want me to take those, or..."

He shrugged, and walked out of the doorway, closing it behind him. "We'll both be going to the same place, so it doesn't matter." He said, pointing up.

She looked up at the ceiling. "The second floor?"

"Yeah. We've got some rooms up there that need used. Plus we're going to have more recruits soon." He said as they walked. "Here." He said, gesturing with his hand for her to come closer. "Take these to Hange's's office," He said, sliding the top half of the stack into her hands. "I'll take this," He said slightly raising his arms. "To Mike's office."

"Okay." Bara said nodding.

"Meet me on the second floor."

"Okay, Sa." She said, just before she turned down a hallway.

Levi walked down a little ways, and to Mike's office. He knocked on the door forcefully. "Who is it?" Mike asked.

"Tch...Just open the door."

Levi heard Mike's loud footsteps, before he opened the door. "What is it, Levi?"

"Tch, here." He said, shoving the papers into his arms.

He glared up at Mike. Now that Bara mentioned his height, he couldn't help but notice the difference.

Mike stood at a height of six foot four inches. He was a lot heavier than Levi too, at two hundred-twenty-four pounds.

"What?" Mike asked nonchalantly, as he took the papers.

"Tch, nothing." Levi said, as he turned to leave.

Mike shrugged. "Well, allright. Have a good night." He said as he closed the door.

Levi lifted a hand as he walked away.

He walked up the steps, and saw Bara already on the second floor, holding a bucket, and some cleanents.

"Ready to clean?" She asked, raising the bucket slightly.

"Always." He said, almost sarcastically, walking toward her, and grabbing a duster.

"This floor is disgusting. It isn't currently used, so it isn't usually cleaned. We'll be getting some new recruits soon though, and we'll need this space."

"How many recruits?"

"Probably double of what we have now."

"Ara ma..."

"Even this might not be enough space."

"What'll we do if there's more cadets than rooms?"

"We'll have to pair some of the cadets up."

"We'll have to share rooms? Don't put me with kirshtein..."

Levi smiled as he walked toward a window. "No one likes him, huh?"

"Nope."

Levi pushed open the window. "AH GOD. -cough,cough- Dust." The beams of sunlight showed the enormous amount of dust that flew off the opened window.

"Eeeew. That'll need some serious dusting."

"Yeah, just like everything up here." Levi said, throwing off his survey corps jacket. He pulled the cravet off of his neck, and tucked it into his pocket. "Want one?" He asked Bara, extending a cloth to her.

"What for?" She asked, though grabbing it.

"This." He said, as he tied it around his face, covering his mouth and nose.

"Ah, sure." She said, before tying it around her face in the same area as Levi's.

"This'll take a while." Levi said, dusting off the window sill.

"I think so." Bara said, as she leaned down, and set down the bucket, grabbing a scrub brush, and getting down to her knees. "I think I'll start on the floor."

"Okay." Levi deadpanned.

"Oi. This'll take a while." Bara sighed.

* * *

Bara stretched her arms above her head. "Oi, my arms and legs are stiff." She said, leaning over and putting her hands on her knees, stretching her legs now.

Levi exstended his arms out horizontally. "Yeah, mine too."

"It looks a lot better now though." Bara said, placing her hands on her waist, and looking at what they'd done.

"Yeah, at least I can bare being in here." He mumbled, as he gathered the supplies Bara brought into the bucket, and picked it up.

"Ick, now I'm filthy." She said, shaking off her hands.

Levi smirked. "Don't like dirt?"

"Not at all..."

Levi looked out the open window. "It's pretty late."

"Oh, yes. I'll be going now Sa, I need to get cleaned up."

"Okay." He deadpanned, walking past her, and to the stair-well.

She turned on her heals and followed him. "When are we going to be getting more cadets?" She asked.

"In the next week or so."

"Okay. I hope they aren't weird."

"Everyone's weird." He sighed.

"You're weird too Sa."

"I know. I just said that." He deadpanned.

"Geez, you don't have to act like a maloncholy stoic robot. It was a joke..."

He smirked. "Good night Tetsu." He said, as he opened the door to his office.

"Good night Sa." She said, just before he closed his door. "Wait but, those cleaning supplies were..." She was just about to tell him where she got the cleaning supplies, but Levi interrupted her.

"They're mine now."

"Well, okay." She shrugged, as she walked to the showers.

* * *

"WHAT!? NO WAY! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?" Sasha yelled as Bara came down the hall, freshly washed.

Levi was standing in the hallway, with Mikasa, Eren, Sasha, Connie, Armin, Krista, and Jean standing around him. Levi was holding a paper in his right hand.

"So, wait, who am I paired with?" Jean asked.

"Don't know." Levi deadpanned.

Jean groaned.

"I'll go over the list again." Levi sneered. "Ackerman with Jaeger, Braus with Springer, Arlert with Reiss, Kirshtien and N/A."

"But that still doesn't answer me..." Jean grumbled.

"Shut up or I'll make you run laps."

Jean jumped back in surprise. "Wha-what!? But it's night!"

"I'll still do it." Levi said coldly, staring daggers at Jean. He also saw Bara approach.

"C'mon Levi Sa, don't be mean."

Levi scowled at Jean as Bara walked up to Levi.

"What're we looking at?"

Levi handed her the paper. "Oh? Room pairings?"

"Yeah." He said crossing his arms.

"And I don't even have a roomate." Jean grumbled.

"neither do I." Bara said, almost absentmindedly, as her eyes glazed over the page.

They both quickly came to the same conclusion.

"Crap." They both said simultaneously.

"Well that settles it." Levi said coldly, taking the paper out of Bara's hands. "Kirshtein, you have a roomate. Tetsu, so have you."

Bara scowled. "Unchi." She said, crossing her arms.

Levi walked away, back to his office, and the other cadets slowly faded out.

"So, uh..." Jean started.

"I ain't movin' out of my room."

"Urp...Uuuh, okay, sure..." Jean said, sliding away.

"And I don't want to hear anything from you when I'm trying to sleep, got it?" She asked, as he walked down the hall.

"Eh, Y-yeah!"

* * *

Jean knocked on the door of the room that he will soon be sharing.

"What?" Bara asked annoyed.

"Can you open the door?" Jean asked.

"Why can't you?"

"I have the cot in my hands."

"Fine." She sighed, as she jumped off the bed, and walked to the door.

She opened the door, and stared at him. "You're still dressed."

"Well, yeah. I didn't change, I just got the cot..." He murmurred.

"Get in here already." She ordered, and he followed.

She slammed the door closed, and plopped on the bed.

Jean pulled the cot between the dresser and bed.

Bara sighed. "So are you sleeping in that?"

Jean looked down at his clothes. "Oh, uh...no."

"Then change! Geez." She shouted, falling back on the bed, and sprawling her arms out.

"Should I...change, in here..." He said, pointing at himself. "...or..." He pointed at the door.

"If you change in here...I will be very uncomfortable."

"Ok _ay_." he said, walking around the cot, and out the door.

Bara closed her eyes, and relaxed slightly. She already felt tired.

* * *

He came back a few minutes later, with blankets and pillows in his hands, and holding a few hangers, with clothes on some of them.

Bara opened an eye. It seemed weird for her, seeing him in sleepwear. Jean thought the same thing.

He dropped the blankets and pillows on the cot. He hong the hangers on the dresser.

Bara sighed quietly. "You can use half that dresser. It's half yours now anyways."

Jean turned and looked at her. He shrugged. "I don't really need to. I don't have much."

She rolled onto her side. "Well, you can."

Jean sat on the cot, puling the blanket off to put the pillows where he wanted them.

"I hope you don't mind I wake up early." Bara said, still not facing him.

"I probably won't even notice." He said, looking down, putting a pillow in a pillow case. "I'm a heavy sleeper."

"I also won't worry about waking you up."

"That's fine. I usually get up fine on my own." He paused a moment. "Usually." He repeated, throwing the pillow at the top of the cot, and pulling the blanket back on.

Bara wiggled underneath the sheets, and settled on her side.

"Is the cot, uncomfortable?" She asked.

Jean hesitated a moment. He hadn't really expected her to talk to him. "It's less comfortable than a bed, but it's not too bad..."

Bara hummed. "Sorry you have to sleep on that."

"It's fine. I've slept on worse."

Bara rolled over to her other side, so she could look at him. She looked at him a moment.

"It's fine, really." He said, looking down, and away from her.

"Jean, do you know why I don't like you?"

He looked up at her. "No, why?"

"Because, you're kind of cute." She said with a slight blush. "And you're a bit of a pretentious perv."

Jean smiled slightly. "I don't really know about the perv part...but..." He said, still looking at her. "Thanks, I guess."

"So when you're not being a total jerk, I think you're kind of nice."

"Oh, well, Thanks. And, aside from you threatening me, and the fact that you put up a wall around yourself, you're pretty nice too."

Bara smiled. "Thanks."

"Good night." Jean whispered.

"Good night." She whispered back.

* * *

 **(AN) Yay, I've got a good, long chapter here. Bara has to spend time with Jean, *gasp*. Will she kill him? Maybe. Read to find out!**

 **Unchi, poo**

 **Please leave a review! 3**


	8. Party horse

**(AN) Sorry about it taking so long to update these last two, I'm spending a lot of time on this, and the chapters are getting longer, so please bear with me!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own attack on titan. But I wish I did. If I did, Mikasa x Eren would _SO_ be a thing.**

 **Please enjoy! Thank you for reading!**

* * *

Jean lay flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling, as Bara stirred in her sleep. She rolled to her right side, facing Jean.

"You're up." She stated matter-of-factly.

"I am."

"How long have you been up?"

Jean glanced up to the window behind his head. "Since before the sun came up."

"We've got a mission tomorrow. You'll want your energy."

"Yeah..." He murmured, as he sat up.

"Why didn't you just get up?"

He shrugged. "I didn't have anything to do...plus, I didn't want to wake you up. I forgot to ask if you're a light sleeper or not."

"I could sleep through a hurricane."

"Good to know in the future. " Jean said, sarcastically putting a thumbs up and turning his head away.

"So who gets dressed first?" He said looking back in her direction.

She shrugged. "Dunno. But if you're getting dressed first, then I'm not leaving. I never leave my room in sleepwear. I also usually don't _wear_ sleepwear..."

Jean also shrugged. "I don't really care either. But I'm fine with leaving for you to get dressed."

Bara sat up and smiled. "Y'know, I kind of half expected you to ask if you could stay."

"Boy, you really think I'm a perv eh?"

She giggled. "I would've let you stay if you had asked."

"Sure." He said as he stood up.

"Maybe I'm not joking." She teased. (She's joking.)

He turned around and looked at her. " _Really_? You're not joking?"

"Maybe."

"Okay, prove it."

"Prove what?"

"That you're not joking."

"I said if you had asked."

"Fine, can I stay."

"No, you perv!" She yelled, throwing a pillow at him.

He swatted the pillow away and grinned. "Knew it."

She pointed at the door. "Just leave please."

"Fine."

-line break-

"Okay, you can come back in now. " Bara said from behind the door.

Jean walked back in. "Okay, your turn to leave."

"Yeah, but first." She started, extending her arms toward him, holding her 3DMG straps. "I need you to put these on for me, my hands hurt."

"Is this a test?" He said, squinting his eyes, but grabbing the straps.

"No. I honestly want your help for this. I helped Levi-sama clean the second floor, and my hands hurt, so I can't get the buckles..."

"Okay, just, sit down." He said, gesturing to the bed.

"Okay." She said plopping on the bed.

He got down on one knee, so he was kneeling in front of her, at about chest height. "Do you need me to do the leg straps _and_ the chest straps?"

She nodded. "Yes please."

"Okay..." He said, sliding the straps up her legs.

"Hang on." She said, standing up. She pulled the straps up the rest of the way and sat back down. "Continue."

He gently tightened each buckle, and asked her, "Is it tight enough?"

"Yeah," She said, swinging her legs a little, and looking at the straps. "They seem fine."

Jean placed a finger underneath one of the straps and pulled up on it slightly. "Yeah, it seems to have enough slack."

He quickly, and gently, strapped on the chest harness, careful not to touch her chest.

"Alright, there you go." He said, patting her chest.

Bara frowned. "Is that a half-assed attempt at feeling me up?"

Jean quickly retracted his hand and went red as a cherry. "Wha-what!? N-no! I just..."

"Because if you're gonna try to feel me up, do it the right way."

"Would you stop screwing with me!?"

"Maybe eventually." She said as she left the room so that he could get dressed.

"I'LL LIVE TO SEE THE DAY." He yelled as she closed the door.

"I think I'm beginning to like messing with him..." She whispered as she walked down the hall.

"Levi-sama!" Bara yelled as she came down the hall, to the Mess Hall. She was slightly surprised to see Levi getting food. This is the first time she'd seen him here.

"Hello, Cadet Tetsu." He said, not even looking at her, and staring into his teacup, as he ate. "Wait, Levi-sama?" He mumbled.

"Sa, I wanted to know, why'd you have us move into our shared rooms before the new arrivals even got here?"

Levi held up a finger, inquiring she wait while he finished chewing. He swallowed and said, "To let you get used to your new arrangements, and roommates."

Bara hummed. "A week just seemed a little early to me." She mumbled, as she past Levi, and walked to the counter.

"Whatever." He shrugged it off and walked out of the Mess Hall. Someone bumped into him just before he left.

"Watch it Kirshtein."

"Oo-oops, sorry sir," Jean said, walking around Levi. "Where is she?" Jean yelled, referring to Bara.

"Who?" Bara said with a smile behind her roll.

"BARA!" He yelled, pointing at her.

She put her hands up in mock innocence. "What? What did I do?"

He held up his survey corps jacket and gestured with his hand to the words written on the back.

"You wrote 'Horse-face' on my survey corps jacket."

"That's not all I wrote." She said, grinning devilishly, as she bit into her roll.

Jean squinted his eyes at her. "What _else_ did you do?" He asked, searching his jacket for words.

When he turned his back to her, she burst out laughing. He quickly turned around and glared at her. "What?"

She laughed and pointed at his back. "HAHA! P-PERV !"

His face went red with anger. "Did you write 'perv' on my back?" He asked, almost eerily calmly.

She smiled. "Yes."

"I'm going to get you for that."

Connie and Sasha stared blankly at them. "Are... Are they a couple?" He asked, slightly tilting his head.

Sasha looked at him, shocked. " _Jean_!? And _Bara_!? Are you kidding me!? She wants to kill him!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

"If she did, Jean would be dead. Don't you remember? They shared the room last night."

Sasha gasped. "You're right...Maybe they are a..."

Jean slammed his hand on the table they were sitting at, eliciting a gasp from the both of them.

"What're are you two dim-wits talking about over here. And why is it about us." He said, gesturing toward Bara.

Sasha lifted a finger. "Are you two dating?"

"HA! Lord no." Bara yelled.

"Yeah, what she said. " Jean responded.

Connie said, "How did your slumber party go?"

Jean smiled. "Fine. I assume yours went better, though."

Connie and Sasha blushed madly.

Bara squinted her eyes, with a snide smile on her face. "What'd you two do?"

They both just looked away.

Bara and Jean laughed slightly. Bara put her arm on Jean's shoulder. "See? We work well together."

"High five. "Jean said, raising his hand.

"Up top. " Bara said, slapping his hand with hers.

"Oi, brats." Levi's voice rang out from the back of the room, and everyone turned to face him.

"Hurry up and get to training." He turned and left after he said this. Jean sighed.

"I didn't even get anything for breakfast..."

Bara handed him some bread. "Here."

He smiled. "Thanks." He said as he took it.

"See! You guys _ARE_ a couple!"

It took every ounce of self-control Jean had NOT to punch Connie's lights out.

"We'd better hurry."

"Yup. " Jean said, putting on his survey corps jacket.

"You really want everyone to see horse-face on your back?" She asked him as they left the Mess Hall.

"Better than 'perv'." He said, following right behind her.

"True."

* * *

"Nice one Kirschtein!" Bara yelled as Jean made a nice, clean slice on the artificial nape of a fake titan.

Jean swung back to where she was standing, and landed beside. "Uh, thanks?" He said, a little out of breath, sheepishly placing a hand on the back of his neck.

She slapped his back. "At least you're better than Connie! I mean, it just seems like he can't focus recently..." She whispered, mocking interest and confusion, though she knows what's up.

Jean snickered. "I guess you're right about that."

"YOU TWO ARE A COUPLE. " Sasha screamed from behind them.

Bara knitted her brows and grimaced. _"We. Are. Not. A. Couple."_ She held her hand out, and moved it down, then back up to annunciate every word.

"You are!" She said pointing at them.

Jean turned and looked at her. "We aren't. And what would even make you think that?"

"Well, duh. You're like, the perviest, dumbest, most annoying cadet. I'm surprised Bara didn't kill you last night. Unless you two are a couple." She said, still pointing at him.

"Okay, yes. We're a couple, and we did literally _everything_ to each other last night."

Sasha stared at him in awe. she did not expect that.

" _Oi. Brats!_ Stop slacking." Levi yelled from a few yards away.

"Let's go _lover boy_. " Bara said, slapping Jeans back, and shooting off her 3DMG into a tree.

"All right weirdo. " Jean said, following suit.

" _BRAUS_. Do I need to repeat myself." It was less a question, and more a statement.

She snapped back into reality. "N-no! Sorry, Sir!" She stammered, before she shot off, deliberately in the opposite direction of Jean and Bara.

"Good one Jean. " Bara said as they flew by trees.

He chuckled. "Maybe I wasn't joking."

"Like hell, you weren't joking."

He chuckled again. "Maybe. You can never be too sure around a perv like me."

* * *

Bara and Jean landed on the ground, panting and tired.

Bara sighed. "That's was fun."

Jean got a devilish smirk. "Yeah, and tiring."

"Uh-huh. We should do that more often."

"Yeah, but we can only do it out here," Jean said, that devilish smirk still on his face, but he wasn't looking at her, he was looking past her.

"Huh?" She murmured, noticing he was looking past her, and turning.

Jean chuckled at the expression on Sasha's face. "Don't think too hard about what we were doing in there Sash." He said, wiping sweat from his brow.

Sasha's face went red. "I-I...Just...SHUT UP." She yelled as she ran to the castle.

Bara chuckled. "You love to screw with her, don't you?"

Jean smiled. "Yup."

"Good," Bara replied.

"Gah. I'm tired..." Jean grumbled as he walked to the castle.

"I am too. Plus I'm sweaty, eww..." She said, pulling the dirty clothes from her skin.

He glanced at her. "Yeah..." He groaned.

* * *

After Bara showered, she decided that she should change into sleepwear. She walked down the hall back to her quarter, well, her and _Jean's_ quarter, awkwardly, because she's never worn her pajama's out of her room. Though not many cadets were in the halls, they were all leaving to get their rest. When she walked into her shared quarters Jean was laying on the cot on his back, staring up at the ceiling, letting his arms drape over the edge of the cot.

He lifted his head up, and saw that it was her, and let his head fall back down on his pillow. "Hi." He said tiredly.

"Eh, Hi," Bara mumbled, noticing that he was already dressed for bed. "So is the cot feeling any more comfortable tonight?"

Jean lifted his head slightly. "Why and how would it be?"

She shrugged. "Just wondering." She plopped down on her bed.

Jean rolled to his side facing away from Bara, trying to get more comfortable. He heard quiet shuffling behind him and felt the cot dip behind him.

"Hey, lover boy..." Bara whispered, pushing him slightly.

He turned slightly on his back and looked at her. "What?"

"Move."

"Wha-why?" He asked confused, though he moved over anyway.

Bara laid down on the cot. "What are you doing?" Jean asked still confused.

"I'm trying out the cot." She said like it was common knowledge.

Jean looked at her weirdly. "Why?"

"Because it looked uncomfortable. And, I wanted to see how it felt."

Jean shrugged and laid back down next to her. He put his left arm over his stomach, and his right behind his head. "So, how is it."

"Uncomfortable as hell."

"That's what I thought." He murmured.

"Want the bed?" She asked quickly.

"What?" Jean said, turning his head to look at her.

She looked away, with a slight red on her cheeks.

"Why?" Jean asked, gently nudging her with his left arm.

She wiggled around on the spot. "Because...I forced you to move into this room. It seems fair that if I keep the room, you can have the-"

"No. It's fine. I already told you it's fine." He interrupted.

She slowly sat up in bed. She sighed. "Well I was _trying_ to be nice, but _no_."

Jean chuckled. "I am the nicer one."

She jumped onto her bed and crawled under the covers.

She hadn't really noticed it, but they ended up talking for a long time, about all kinds of things, about who they would rather date, who they would rather _not_ date, what to do to screw with Connie and Sasha about in the morning, who's better at taking out titans, they talked for hours.

"Jean, are you always this sociable?" She asked, staring at the ceiling.

"Yeah, I just hide it behind my jerk-ness." He sat on his side, resting his head in his left hand.

She laughed slightly. "Why's that?"

"Cause I'm a jerk, I dunno..." He said, falling onto his back.

She turned and looked at him. "Yeah, but you aren't _really_ a jerk, you just have a jerky sense of humor."

He smiled. "I guess..."

Bara smiled back at him and looked back up at the ceiling. "Are you tired yet?"

"Very."

"Then why are you still awake?" She asked, stretching her arms toward the ceiling, like a cat.

"I was talking to you. And I enjoyed it."

She rolled onto her right side. "We need to sleep... We'll have a mission in the morning..."

Jean glanced at her and smiled. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Yeah, don't worry, if you get in trouble I'll kill any titan so I can kill you for myself."

"I look forward to that," Jean said with a chuckle.

Bara smiled with closed eyes. "Good night..."

"Night."

 **(AN) More Bara and Jean interaction! I'm starting to really like writing that now! Almost as much as Bara and Levi interaction. Yay, next Chapter's a mission! It's gonna be a good chapter, I can feel it! And, I know this time, I didn't mention Hange or Mike, But I will next time.**

 **And I'm sure many of you know that Mike is actually dead, and are probably wondering why or how he's even here, but I just LOVE Mike. His creepy sniff thing is actually funny!**

 **I'm sure a lot of you also noticed that I write 'Hange', though, in the manga, it is often seen as 'Hanji'. I'd rather refer to her as 'Hange', But if you'd rather me call her 'Hanji', please tell me. Also, the sex of Hange is relatively unknown, though she has a somewhat feminine name, Zoe, and in the English dub is voiced by a woman, In the manga, the creator avoided using a gendered pronoun, so he pretty much left the gender up to the reader. (Watcher if it's anime.) I think Hange is female, if you don't think so, do tell.**

 **That's all for now, sorry for so many authors notes! Please leave a review! 3**


	9. War horse

**(AN) I Don't have much to say about this chapter, except that I (,and hopefully you,) will enjoy it!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin. I do own my OC Bara Tetsu. That is all. You may leave. Why are you still here? Go. Leave. Bye. WHY ARE YOU STILL HE-right the rest of the chapter...**

* * *

Jean bolted upright in bed. Cold sweat dripped from his brow. He was breathing heavily, his heartbeat erratic.

"Jesus. Jean? What's your problem?" Bara asked, looking down at him from her bed.

He looked up at her, a terrified look on his face.

She jumped back surprised by his expression. "Jean? What's wrong?" She asked, her voice now softer, and gentler than before.

He looked back down, trying to steady his breathing. He looked back up at her and swallowed hard.

"D-did you, have, a nightmare?"

He nodded slowly and turned away again.

Bara scooted forward on the bed so that her legs draped over the edge. She threw the blanket to the side.

Jean heard the bounce of her bed and felt the cot dip, and before he could blink, he felt Bara's arms gently wrap around his side. His eyes widened in surprise. 'Did she just...?' Jean thought.

"Jean? Are you okay?"

He turned his face toward hers, a sad and bleak look on his face. He turned his body to fully face hers and wrapped his arms around her.

Very quiet, almost unnoticeable sobs slipped out of him. "Jean..." She whispered in his ear, trying to comfort him. She's never been very good at being comforting. She patted his back with her left hand and ran her right hand through his hair.

He started to feel better, though. He stopped crying and pulled his face back to look at her.

"S-sor-ry..." He whispered looking away.

"Jean..." she started, placing a hand on his cheek to make him look back at her. "Don't apologize...I, I've...I understand what you're going through..."

Jean smiled weakly. "Thanks..."

Bara smiled back at him. "I'm glad I could be comforting...I know, it helps...to have someone..."

He lifted his head and looked out of the window. "It's past sunrise, we should get dressed if we want to get breakfast before the mission."

"Right! Jean, you can get dressed first if you want."

He nodded. "...Okay..."

"Ara ma, Ara ma. We'll be late! HURRY UP KIRSCHTEIN!" Bara yelled as she rushed Jean along. He was taking too long (By her standards) to get his horse ready for riding.

"All right all right, we won't be late..." He said putting his hands up while holding the reins in them.

"C'mon, c'mon," She said, as she lightly pushed him along, and her horse followed her without even being told.

Her horse was a beautiful white, with a black mane. Its' name ; Uma. She loved this horse.

"C'mon Uma," She said grabbing the reins. She already had her saddled, and ready to ride. She jumped on her and gripped the reins.

"Tetsu, Kirshtein, C'mon," Levi said from the front.

"Hai!" Bara said, snapping the reins, and getting Uma up to a light run.

Jean and his horse followed shortly behind.

"Feeling any better Jean?" Bara whispered leaning toward Jena.

He smiled. "Yeah, thanks."

"Good to hear loverboy."

He chuckled. "Y'know, I prefer 'loverboy', to perv or horse-face."

"Really?" Bara started. "Well, I personally prefer perv, but..." She shrugged.

Jean chuckled again. "There's that usual attitude of yours," He said with a smile.

The drawbridge lowered, allowing them through the wall, to the other side.

Bara smiled widely. "This is what I love!" She yelled, throwing her arms up, still holding the reins.

Jean smiled at her. "It is pretty nice to get out of the walls."

She looked back at him and smiled. "I know, it's so great!"

"Yeah, yeah, settle down," Levi said from the front. "We're just picking up some supplies, well, technically we're guiding back the supplies, but you still need to pay attention, we could still get attacked out here, but it isn't like a usual mission. We should be fine. Just don't get yourself killed, and don't attack unless necessary. Got it?"

"Yes, sir!"

"HAI!"

They easily and quickly made their way across the huge and relatively open field they had to cross. Once they made their way to the destination, they would guide the wagons containing the supplies back to the castle. They would also protect them from any danger from a titan.

The mission was running smoothly, and they were half way through. They'd made their way to the site, and were beginning to lead the wagons back.

"Alright cadets, I want you to pay attention to your surroundings. Don't go getting anyone killed," Levi said, as he turned his horse to run forward.

"Yes, sir!"

"Hai!"

They started off fine, everything running smoothly, but Bara knew that wouldn't last. And it ended with, "GUYS! Titan in the east!" Jean yelled the warning loud enough for everyone to hear.

Bara turned to see it. She quickly did some calculations in her head. 'Titan, 15 miles east, moving rapidly, I'd have enough time to kill it, and not lose the rest of the squad, if I-'

Her own thoughts were cut off at the realization of where it was running. Her eyes widened as she stared at the supply wagon "Crap." She whispered.

"Good eye Jean!" She yelled as she reversed the direction of her horse, and ran toward the titan.

"Bara! What're you-" Jean started but was interrupted.

"Dealing with the titan!" Bara said, before shooting her 3DMG into the shoulder of the titan.

"B-Bara! Are you nuts!?" Jean yelled.

'The titan is getting too close to the supply wagon!' She thought, as a burst of gas sent her flying at the titan even faster.

She sheathed her blades. The titan finally took notice of her, and the anchor embedded in its' shoulder.

It grabbed the wire and pulled it out of its'shoulder. "CRAP!" She yelled as she was sent to the ground.

A quick burst of gas and an anchor sent into the abdomen of the titan saved her from an otherwise very painful landing.

She shot back into the titan, slashing up its' body, and landing on its' shoulder in one quick motion.

The titan flung it's arm up, trying to swat Bara off. Bara squinted her eyes and smiled. "Good titan."

She sent an anchor into it's now raised wrist.

She used the momentum of the titans moving hand and her burst of gas, to fling herself upward, striking the arm and wrist as she flung up.

She spun her body so that for less than a second she stared the titan in the face.

"Don't worry," She started, smiling. "This will be over quickly."

With that, she sent an anchor into its' eyes. It screeched out in pain, and writhed around, bringing it's hands up to try to pull out the anchors. However, it didn't have enough time.

She used the shaking and writhing of its' body to fling herself around its' head, and in front of its' nape. she gripped her blades tightly in her hands and used a quick burst of gas to fly toward the nape.

"Here we go!" She yelled as she spun herself, to slice the nape. "Haha! Take that!"

She was covered in the titan's blood. It slowly fell to the ground, bringing her with it. She shot an anchor into its' hand, which had fallen by its' side so that she could use the momentum and swinging motion to land on the ground.

She landed running. She seethed in pain while still running "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"

She fell on her hands. "Ouch..." She pushed herself back up, feeling another jolt of pain through her leg, and up her spine. She stood anyway.

That was short lived. "Crap." She murmured as she fell back to the ground.

"UMA!" She called, whistling.

Uma came running from a few yards away.

"Good girl." She whispered as she gripped the saddle, pulling herself up.

She finally looked down at her leg once Uma was at a fast run.

Her eyes widened. Blood covered her leg, not titan blood, this she knew, all the other titan blood evaporated.

She slowly and carefully slid her hand down her leg. She seethed in pain. "Ow..."

She caught up with the rest finally, but her horse;Uma, was very tired. "C'mon girl, hold out, we're almost there..." She whispered in her ear, rubbing her neck and mane.

"BARA! Are you okay!?" Jean yelled, looking at her bloody right leg.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? That doesn't look fine."

"Yes! I'm fine!" She yelled.

"Okay, just trying to be sure..."

She sighed.

"Tetsu," Levi yelled from the front.

"Hai Sa," Bara yelled back to him, steering her horse past the other cadets, and to the captain.

"Did you take out the titan?" He asked stoically, staring ahead.

"Hai."

He glanced at her leg. "What happened."

"I landed on it badly."

"No, not _how_ it happened, _what_ happened."

"Oh..." She started. "It hurts pretty bad, I'm not fully sure what happened, but it's cut pretty badly."

Levi sighed. "Go to the infirmary immediately after you get back, okay?"

"Hai."

Jean caught up with the two of them at the front. "Bara, what happened?"

She glanced at him. "I landed on it badly and gashed it open. Might be broken, not sure." She said nonchalantly.

Levi looked at her. "If it's broken let me know, I'll plan something for you to do accordingly." He turned back in front of him, to face where he was going.

"Hai Sa." She said simply.

Jean thought it was slightly strange, He shrugged it off. 'Oh well...' He thought.

"Uh, hey," Armin said from the back. "Do you guys hear that?"

Jean stared blankly at him a moment. He focused hard, and behind the clopping of hooves, he heard a loud thumping, sounding like a very erratic running from, a titan!

Jean looked to Bara. "Titans!"

She jumped in surprise. "More!?"

"What direction," Levi demanded, his voice monotone as usual.

Jean looked over his left shoulder, listening for a moment. He looked back to his captain. "West, Sir!"

Levi paused for a moment. "Are they coming toward us."

"Yes."

"Take care of them," He ordered quickly.

"Yes-"

Before Jean could finish his sentence an abnormally large titan came sprinting out of the forest to the west.

"Crap," Jean muttered as he maneuvered his horse toward the titan.

The titan moved toward the lead of the group, Bara, Levi, and Jean.

It ran faster than it looked, quickly closing the large gap between them and the forest to the west.

"Kirschtein! Don't let it get too close!" Levi yelled but was already too late.

The titan ran at them with great speed, it's target; seemingly Bara.

Bara looked up and her eyes widened. "Ara ma..."

"KIRSCHTEIN!" Levi yelled from the front.

The titan reached a hand out for Bara. She knew she really couldn't do much, because her horse was too tired, and she was incapacitated from using her 3DMG.

The titan's hand was close to grabbing her, but she sat frozen in fear.

Jean, however, was not frozen.

He shot an anchor into the shoulder of the titan and flung himself at it.

He chopped off the hand of the titan in one swift, and well-placed motion.

However, that action will not completely save Bara. The hand was hanging directly above her, so the hand now being chopped off, will fall on top of her, undoubtedly crushing her.

She was still frozen in fear, staring at the hand as it fell.

"TETSU!" Levi yelled, trying to snap her back into reality. She acknowledged that someone spoke, but her brain was not in the right place to comprehend what they said.

"TETSU!" He yelled again, his words still failing to reach her.

She felt her heartbeat quicken. Her eyes widened as the shadow of the hand completely covered her.

"Crap."

"TETSU!" Levi yelled as he shot an anchor of his 3D maneuver gear into the falling hand of the titan.

He swung himself underneath the titan's hand, grabbing her by the arm, and pulling her off her horse.

Her horse; Uma, instinctively ran from the falling hand.

Levi landed hard on the ground, sliding on his feet, almost losing his balance.

Bara could barely breathe, her heart beating out of her chest.

She caught her breath as she was held in the strong arms of her captain.

She looked up at his normal, stoic, face.

"Tetsu, are you okay?" He asked almost mechanically, leaning his head down to look at her.

She nodded slightly. "Y-yeah..."

"Good." He said looking back up, to see that Jean was having a hard time taking out the titan.

Without warning, he shot his grapples into the titan, to shoot himself, and Bara, at the titan.

She yelled in surprise as he shot out some gas. "WHA-WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

"Taking out the titan." He said, monotone.

She gripped his jacket as they neared the titan. "WHY WITH ME IN TOW!?"

He looked down at her. "I thought your leg hurt?"

She opened her mouth to say something but stopped herself. "This is more dangerous than me sitting on the ground, though!" She finally said.

He shrugged. "Oh well."

Jean shot a grapple into the arm of the titan, swinging himself around, and slicing up it's back.

It was too big a titan, so he couldn't take it out going directly for the nape, he'd already tried that, and it just ended with him almost getting knocked out of the sky.

"Kirschtein, distract it," Levi yelled, as he reached suitable slicing distance from the titan.

"O-okay, Sir."

Levi flew to the titan with a quick jet of gas. Bara let out a short quiet yelp of surprise. She gripped his jacket harder.

Doing as he was told, distracting the titan, Jean flew in front of it, striking its' hands and arms. He cut off the same hand that had regenerated not long ago.

Levi took this opportunity to fly to the nape of the titan.

"PLEASE TELL ME YOU AREN'T GOING TO SPIN!" Bara yelled while gripping his jacket even tighter.(If that's even possible at this point.)

"Sorry." He said nonchalantly.

Bara yelled as Levi spun, using only one blade to cut the nape, the other hand and arm having to be used to hold up Bara. He did manage to cut the nape sufficiently, though.

"ARA MA, ARA MA, ARA MA." She yelled as they landed back safely on the ground.

When her feet finally hit the ground her heartbeat returned to normal, but her death grip on Levi's jacket never wavered.

"Are you okay?" He asked, hardly sounding interested.

"Y-yeah," She said nodding her head.

He unwrapped his arm from around her back. "You can let go of my jacket now."

"Oh, sorry..." She said jumping back.

"Where's your horse, we need to get moving again," He deadpanned (as usual) as he began to walk away.

"UMA!" Bara called.

Her horse didn't show up.

She waited another couple of seconds to call her horse's name again. "UMA!" She whistled loudly.

She heard a neigh, most likely from her horse, near the evaporating titan corpse.

Levi turned his head. He glazed his eyes over the dying titan and spotted a white figure, covered in red.

"Is that it?" Levi asked sounding bored, lifting his hand to point.

"Huh?" She murmured, looking to where he was pointing.

She attempted to run over where Levi was standing but put her weight on her right leg, and almost instantly fell.

She would've fallen if not for Levi grabbing her arm and keeping her up.

"Oh, thanks." She said, regaining her footing.

"Kirschtein. Bring that horse over here," Levi called out to Jean.

He walked over to the horse but hesitated.

"What're you doing? Bring it over here! We need to get moving again!" Levi said angrily.

"Uuh, sir, the horse is injured."

Levi rolled his head back and sighed. "Where."

"Its legs are cut, I don't think it'll be able to carry anyone."

Levi sighed again. "Kirschtein, tow the horse behind you, and get it looked at upon arrival, got it?"

"Yes, Sir," Jean said, before gingerly helping the horse up, and leading it to his horse.

"But, what about me?" Bara asked, Levi still holding her arm.

He sighed, and seemed to think for a moment. "You can ride with me on my horse."

"O-oh...okay," A small blush appeared on her face.

Still holding her arm, he began to walk back to his horse, which was waiting patiently.

"W-wait-" Bara started but was cut off by a wince in pain from herself.

Levi turned back around. He looked down at her leg. "Oh, right..." He muttered.

He knelt down and got a close look at her thigh. He gently pulled down her boot, to reveal a very large wound.

She seethed in pain as he lowered the boot some more, and pulled up her pants.

He was slightly surprised at the full extent of the wound but didn't let that show in his ever-unchanging face.

He looked back up at her. "Looks broken," He stated simply.

She sighed. "I was afraid of that..."

He gently pulled her pants back down, and her boot back up.

He hooked an arm behind her legs just before standing up.

"W-wait, what're you-" Was all she could get out before he stood up, picking her up with him (Bridal style) like it was nothing.

She returned her death grip to his jacket.

"Nanishiteruno!? Waga kamiyo...Anata wa watashi o korosu tame ni shiyou to shite imasu ka? (What are you doing!? My god...Are you trying to kill me?)"

Levi didn't bother looking at her as he carried her effortlessly.

"No." He stated simply.

"Anata ga kirai!"

"I don't care whether you dislike me or like me, I am carrying you this way for ease and efficiency."

She crossed her arms and pouted. "I could've walked..."

He sighed. "No, you couldn't of."

She sighed in defeat. "Yeah...I guess you're right. Arigato." (Thank you [AN:I don't think you needed me to tell you that...])

He sighed. "Mondainai..."

He gently placed her on the saddle of his horse. She still winced in pain when her legs hit the saddle.

"Kirschtein," Levi started. "Do you have the horse ready to go?"

Jean was already on his horse walking over to them, as he said, "Yeah, both horses, and me, are ready to go."

"Good," Levi said, jumping on his horse.

He whipped the reins of his horse, and it started running immediately.

Bara yelled out in pain as her leg bounced on the horse.

She wrapped her arms tightly around the shorter raven-haired man steering the horse.

"Are you okay?" Levi asked, almost sounding bored.

"Yeah. Fine."

She placed her head on his back and listened to his calm, steady heartbeat. It served to calm her down quite a bit.

Almost unconsciously, her hands began to roam the captain's chest. He barely paid it any notice.

She actually calmed down quite a bit on the ride back, and the pain began to subside, until she had to jump off the horse, which was very painful [And that's an understatement].

She moved her right leg up and over the horse so that it lay with her left.

She yelped out in pain while doing so.

The corporal stood staring at her.

"I'll help you down," He sighed, extending his arms out to grab her sides.

"Oh, okay..." She said uneasily, jumping forward slightly.

He easily, and gently brought her down to the ground, only for her to wince in pain at the contact.

He sighed again. "I'll help you to the infirmary..."

She smiled as she leaned onto him and slung her arm over his shoulder. "Arigato Sa!"

He helped her along saying nothing as they made their way to the infirmary.

Once there, Levi seemed set on dumping her there and quickly leaving to tend to business, but a question from Bara stopped him.

"Hey, Sa, How is it that you make that seem so easy?"

"Make what seem easy?"

"Carrying me."

He shrugged slightly and turned to walk away.

"Oyasumi!" She said waving.

"Yeah," Levi started. "Good night."

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow." She said as she limped through the infirmary.

And, of course, she saw the one mad scientist she didn't want to see.

"Oooow! What happened to you, sweetie?!" Hange yelled, running over to Bara with outstretched arms.

'She'd better not hug me...' Bara thought, as she brought up a hand to stop Hange's movements.

"Please, no hug. It hurts," She said pointing at her leg.

"Oow, That looks bad sweetie." Hange said, bringing a finger up to her mouth and biting on the knuckle.

"C'mon, I'll help." She said with a gentle smile.

'Jeez, If she'll be quiet when I'm hurt, I should just _always_ pretend to be hurt!' Bara thought, as she walked over to a bed, and laid down.

There was a lot of commotion from the Mess Hall, so much so that Bara could hear it all the way down the hall at the infirmary. She'd gotten a cast put on it, and would have to walk around on crutches for the next four weeks.

"This, sucks..." Bara said as she hopped down the hall, using her crutches to help her along.

"What sucks." A monotone voice said from behind her.

"Hi, Sa." She said, not at all surprised. "My leg's broken."

Levi hummed. "How long until you can walk on it?"

"Hange said four weeks."

"No training until then."

"Hai Sa."

He hummed again and turned in a different direction; toward his office.

"Bara! You okay?" Jean asked from the Mess Hall, just after she entered.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine."

"That's great!" He responded happily.

"What's...going on?" She asked slowly, looking around the room of people celebrating wildly.

"Oh, well, every time after we get a shipment pickup, we also get alcohol, and there's always a celebration, but they decided to start early I guess."

"Ah." Bara murmured. "I'm going to go to bed."

"Ah, okay. Good night." Jean responded.

"Okay, see ya there."

"Yeah."

* * *

Bara lay in bed, staring stiffly at the ceiling.

The pain pulsing through her leg kept her awake.

She brought a hand up to her forehead, rubbing her temples. She groaned in pain.

She was now getting a headache from all the commotion outside her quarter.

She heard footsteps reach the door.

The doorknob clicked, and with a quiet pop, opened up.

Bright, painful light streaked through the dark room, sending jolts of pain through her head.

The silhouetted image of Jean stood tired in the doorway.

He stepped in quietly, closing the door behind him.

Her eyes remained fixated on the ceiling, like if she stared long enough it'd let her sleep.

She heard the rustling of fabric and then the drop of them.

She closed her eyes for a moment. She realized Jean was changing.

She felt like her face was glowing red, bright enough that Jean could see.

When she heard a weight fall down on the cot below, she opened her eyes. Staring at the ceiling once again.

"Hi," Bara muttered.

Jean was silent.

"What's wrong?" She whispered.

Jean groaned as he rolled to his back. "I'm just tired."

Bara hummed quietly in response. "They can be a little tiring...especially after you get back from a mission."

She painfully rolled to her side, so she could look at him. A small wince of pain inadvertently left her mouth.

"By the way, Jean." He looked up at her. "Thank you."

He tilted his head slightly. "For what?"

"Well, you kind of saved me from that titan earlier."

"Oh, right, well, no problem."

She sighed. "Don't be so damn modest Jean."

He looked at her slightly surprised.

"You saved me from a titan. Don't act all superhero and just say," She lifted up her fingers to make air quotation marks. "Don't mention it."

He stared at her a moment, having nothing to say.

"O-oh, sorry. Your welcome."

She smiled. "There."

She fell back down onto her back.

"Does your leg still hurt?"

"Yeah, It's broken. I'll have to be off of it for at least four weeks, then after that, I can't go on any missions for _another_ two weeks, and for _those_ two weeks, I can only do _light_ work. Plus I either have to walk around on crutches, or use a _stupid_ wheelchair."

Jean hummed. "That sounds like it sucks."

"It _does_!"

They sat in silence for a few more moments. Neither one talking to the other. The only noise heard in the room was occasional bouncing springs or the rustling of sheets.

Bara wiggled further underneath of the sheets, trying to get comfortable.

"I don't feel comfortable in this stupid cast," She pouted.

Jean leaned forward so that his weight was on his elbows. "Well, I don't feel comfortable in this cot, so I guess we're even."

"I already said you could have the bed..."

"I already said I wouldn't take it. Especially not if you've got a broken leg."

She turned so that she faced the wall, opposite to Jean's cot.

She stayed silent a moment, thinking about what she was going to say, before saying, "We could share it."

Jean sat up some more so that his weight was on his hands.

"What?" He asked, unsure if he properly heard her.

"I said, we could share it."

"Doesn't that sound a little weird?"

"I didn't say it'd be comfortable."

"It'd be more comfortable than this," He said, falling onto his back, and stretching his arms out at his sides.

"Well? Do you want to?" She asked, rolling over to her right side to look at him again.

He glanced up at her. "You were serious?"

"Yeah," She said like it was obvious knowledge.

Jean looked back up at the ceiling. "I don't think so..." He murmured

"Why not?"

"Because," Jean started, gaining a blush before he continued with, "It'd be, really awkward..."

Bara got a devilish smile. "Why are you blushing? Are you thinking dirty thoughts?"

He frowned. "No."

She fell onto her back again. "Okay, whatever perv."

"Good night Bara," He said, rolling on his right side, away from her.

"Good night loverboy," She said with a smile.

"Yeah..."

 **(AN) Wow, this on was long! It took me a while, and now Bara's in a cast! Her first mission, what an unlucky girl... Anyway, I really enjoyed this one, and I hope you did too! I know that there was a lot of talking in this one, too. Although, I think my favorite thing to do _is_ talking scenes. I think in the next few chapters after this, there's going to be a little more development in Bara's backstory. Or, at least, more of her backstory being _revealed_.**

 **Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a reveiw! 3**


	10. Four eyes, six eyes

**(AN) Okay, sorry about this one taking so long to update. I guess a few days isn't _really_ long to wait, but it's longer than I want. I want to try and post these about every day. Also, the thoughts will now be in italic. I don't know if I want to get rid of the '-' things around the thoughts, though, now that thoughts will be italic. Please tell me your thoughts.**

 **Also, tell me truthfully, who _doesn't_ think Jean is french?**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Shingeki no blah ba blah. Don't sue me.**

* * *

Bara sat in bed, awake. Her leg hurt too much for her to move, so she didn't. She groaned as she realized she'd probably been awake for hours now, and still couldn't get back to sleep.

She rolled onto her right side, facing Jean.

She stared at his face a moment. She smiled. He looked peaceful and happy in his sleep. She shook the thought from her mind and rolled on her back.

'What are you thinking? This is horse face you're talking about!' She thought as she stared up at the ceiling.

She sighed. "Staring at the ceiling never does me any good. Why would it now." She mumbled.

She sat up and moved the blanket off her legs. She looked down at her right leg and groaned in dismay.

"I'll have to be like this for **four weeks**!" She said.

She heard Jean sit up in his cot. "Morning." He mumbled.

She turned to look at him. "Yeah, morning."

He got up and fixed the blanket.

"Jean, can you help me up?" She asked as he stretched his arms.

"Hmm? Sure." He walked around the cot

He walked around the cot to her bed.

"Is it your leg?" He asked, offering her a hand.

"It's my everything, but yes mostly my leg." She complained.

He helped her down off the bed and was about to walk over to his cot again and get dressed.

"Oh, Jean, one more thing," She started, grabbing his arm, keeping him from walking any further.

He turned and looked at her, humming questioningly. "What is it?"

"Can you help me get dressed?"

His face turned a deep shade of red. " **Wha-what!? Are you serious!?** " He yelled in disbelief.

"Yes, I'm serious," She said crossing her arms, and gaining a blush of her own. "It's this stupid casts fault."

Jean swallowed hard, and asked again, "Really? You aren't just going to call me a perv if I say I'll help you?"

She shook her head. "No, I do need your help. You believed me when I told you I needed help getting out of bed..."

He paused a moment. "Okay...But I'm not going to look at anything."

"I _am_ wearing underwear, loverboy."

"Okay, I'll help, what do you want to wear?" He asked, walking toward her dresser.

She shrugged. "There's only one outfit in there that isn't a training uniform, so, that."

He nodded while grabbing the said outfit. "Okay, here you go," He said, tossing the clothes on the bed beside her.

"I want you to be careful when getting the pants around my cast. They're loose, but still, be very careful."

He nodded. "Okay, I will."

He knelt down, grabbing the waistband of her loose sleeping pants, and pulled them down, making sure to look steadily downward.

He blushed madly as he carefully pulled the pants around her cast.

She smiled and thanked him.

He looked up, his entire face lit up with red and pink. "Y-yeah, no problem."

He got up and turned around, about to get dressed.

"What are you doing?" Bara asked from behind him.

He turned and asked, "What do you mean?"

She pointed to the pants she planned on _actually wearing_ , that still sat on the bed.

"Right..." The blush had disappeared from his face, but he still felt very awkward in this situation.

He carefully slipped the pants over the cast, and up her legs, averting his eyes from her panties.

"Thank you!" She said cheerily.

"Y-yeah..."

He stood and turned around, walking beside the dresser and grabbing the clothes he was going to change into.

He set them back down and said, "Yeah well, you can finish changing or whatever, I'll leave if you need me to."

"No need." She said removing her shirt.

" **OH GOD,** " He yelled, looking away.

"What's wrong?"

"YOU ARE HALF _**FRICKING** NAKED_ OVER THERE."

"So?" She asked nonchalantly.

"So, It's **fricking** weird."

"Well, by now we should be more comfortable with each other."

"By _now_!? **IT'S BEEN _THREE_ DAYS!**" He yelled, still looking away, and using his hands to cover his eyes.

She shrugged, as she pulled her shirt over her head.

"Can you pass me my crutches?"

"Sure." He grabbed the crutches leaning against the wall by the dresser, and handed them to her.

"Thanks!" She said as she walked/hopped to the door.

"Yeah." He murmured as she left.

 _Awfully cheery for someone who got their leg broken..._ He thought.

* * *

She walked to the Mess Hall, which was louder than usual.

"Right," She started. "Everyone has the day off, this will be an annoying day..."

She walked over to her usual table, where Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and Krista already sat.

"Hey, gang. Where's Connie and Sasha?" She asked.

"They said they were gonna sleep in, and make use of this day off," Mikasa answered.

"Yeah, _sure_ they're, _sleeping in_ ," Bara said with air quotation marks.

Eren's face went red, Mikasa's didn't change, and Armin and Krista got confused.

 _Ah, innocent Armin and Krista._ She thought.

"What does that mean curly?" Krista asked, tilting her head.

Bara smirked. "Nothing."

"What do you..." Armin started.

"Y'know, Armin, With how smart you are, you should have figured it out by now."

"What do you...mean..." He asked, slowly trailing off.

His eyes widened and his face turned red as he looked down.

Everyone laughed for a good moment.

"Allways so innocent," Jean said as he sat down with his tray of food.

"Hey, _loverboy,_ " Bara said, stealing a roll off his plate.

"Hey!" He yelled. "Give it back!"

"No," She said smiling.

He sighed angrily.

She bit into it with a smile on her face.

He growled.

"Still want it?"

He smiled and snatched it from her hands.

"Wha-?"

He took a bite from it on the opposite end as Bara had bitten from.

She grimaced. " _Perv_."

He smiled. "You know it," he said, as he took another bite.

Bara leaned forward and rested her head on her hands. " _So,_ what're we going to do?"

Jean shrugged. "Enjoy a day off from deathly training?"

"Read?" Armin asked.

Bara chuckled inwardly. _'Of course, **Armin** would say that. Only Armin.' _ Bara thought.

"We could talk!" Krista suggested.

"Or training." Mikasa deadpanned.

"Or not," Eren grumbled.

"That's what we'll be doing," Mikasa said, pointing at Eren

" **WHAT!?** I DID **NOT** AGREE TO THAT!" Eren yelled.

"I'll train with you," Jean said, resting his chin in his hand.

"On second thought, I'd rather not," Mikasa said, getting up from the table. "Eren," She called to him.

Eren mouthed the words 'thank you' to Jean, and he nodded at him. Eren got up and ran over to where Mikasa was.

Bara bumped him with her elbow. "Did you _really_ do that _just_ to help Eren?"

"Well, a little. It was mostly to mess with Mikasa."

"I thought you liked Mikasa?"

He shrugged. "I do. But she doesn't like me, so..." He shrugged again.

She pushed him a little harder with her elbow. "What about Krista? Ain't she _purdy_?"

Jean frowned. "Before she died, she dated a girl named Ymir."

"So? Maybe she's changed her mind since then."

He sighed in slight embarrassment and palmed his face. "Please stop."

She bumped him again. "Never."

"Stop it or I'll call you 'sleep moaner'."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"I didn't say you did it, but I'll _tell_ people you do."

"Try that and I'll kill you."

Jean smiled. "Aren't you nice?"

"I'm serious you pervy horse-faced loverboy!"

"All my nicknames in one sentence? You really _are_ serious!"

"Stop it!" Bara yelled, now becoming more annoyed, and embarrassed.

She got up from the table and turned around. "See you later **_perv_**."

Jean smiled. "Au revoir, femme meurtrière. (French: Goodbye, deadly woman.)"

" **Goodbye, Jean. By the way, I don't speak french, and I don't like being called a murderer."** Bara yelled from halfway down the hall.

"Good, Because I called you deadly!" He yelled back after her.

"Meurtrière means murderer _and_ deadly!" She yelled back.

"I thought you didn't speak french?" He asked, and she stayed silent after that.

"Ha, got ya. Douleur irritante dans le cou. (irritating pain in the neck)"

* * *

She walked down seemingly endless corridors.

"Jesus christ, since when has this walk been so long?" She asked irritatedly.

She finally reached the hallway she was looking for, and walked all the way down it, to a large oak door at the end of the hall.

She tapped the door with her crutch.

"State your name and business." A cold stoic voice said from behind the closed door.

"Tetsu."

"Come in." He said, after a short pause.

"Uhm, actually, I can't open the door, Sa..." She murmured.

"Right," He started, his voice coming accompanied by creaking. "I almost forgot about that." He mumbled as he opened the door.

He swung the door open fully, and stepped aside, allowing her through easier.

"Kansha," She said smiling.

"Yeah," He said sighing.

She sat down on the sofa to the left of his desk.

"You don't mind if I sit here,do you?" She asked, watching him as he strode across his office, and sat at the big oak chair in front of his desk.

She took the absence of denial as a 'yes'.

"I'm actually kind of glad you came." He said, grabbing a binder for organizing files.

She looked at him slightly confusedly. "Hm? Why?" She asked as she took the binder from him.

"Because," He started, handing her the binder. "There's a lot of paperwork to do from the recent mission and the new cadets that will be here soon."

"Oh, right, of course." _Yeah,_ She thought. _why else would he be 'happy to see me'?_

She shook her head slightly as she looked down at the binder.

"What's this?" She asked, lifting the binder in her hands slightly.

He glanced at her as he grabbed a stack of papers and slid it off his desk. He then leaned forward in his chair and dropped them on the cushion next to her on the couch.

He sat back down properly in the chair, and pointed at the stack of papers with the quill pen he'd just picked up and said, "That."

She hummed and looked at the stack of papers. "Okay."

"I assume you don't mind doing work on a day you were meant to have off?" He asked, as he leaned forward over the desk, and slid a stack of papers closer to himself.

"Not at all," She said, parting the large stack and taking a smaller portion from the top so that she could work with it on her lap. "As I'm sure you know, I quite enjoy work," She said smiling.

He smirked. _S_ _he's an interesting one..._ He thought.

* * *

Like usual, they worked in silence, and Bara quickly found that she was already done with the rather large stack of papers she was working on.

Left with nothing to do, her eyes wandered over Levi's office.

She marveled to herself how tidy and clean things were.

She looked around at the shelf off to the far left on the wall behind Levi's desk.

Everything was perfectly dusted and cleaned. _It all looks so much cleaner than any other squad leaders office._ Bara thought, as her eyes drifted further.

She found herself inadvertently staring at Levi as he stared down at his work.

She smiled as her eyes drifted down the desk, seeing he was almost done.

She looked back to his face, and her smile grew slightly. She likes the way he looks whenever he's focusing on something.

 _It looks...cute._ She thought.

Her eyes widened at her own thoughts. _What is wrong with you!? That's your captain! You aren't supposed to think those kinds of things about him!_ She thought, calming herself.

He glanced at her, now noticing her staring, and raised an eyebrow.

"What are you staring at cadet?" He asked curiously.

"Oh!" She said, pushing herself into the back of the couch. "I, umm," She stammered.

 _What exactly do I tell him?_ She asked herself. _That I was staring at his handsome face, and daydreaming? **No**!_

She thought for another moment. "I was just looking at your, hair. I like it." She wasn't lying, it just wasn't _exactly_ what she was looking at.

He hummed. "I guess it's good you think so. I don't really see what's so great about it..." He shrugged as he returned to his work.

Bara giggled quietly.

He turned his head back toward her. "What?" He asked with a bored tone.

"That's the same thing you said about your handwriting."

"Well, what's so funny about it?" He asked, almost irritatedly.

She shrugged while giggling. "I don't know."

He looked back to the desk and picked up his quill pen.

"Well, anyways, I'm done with these," She said, slapping her hand on top of the binder full of organized packets.

"Oh, well, just put them on the desk." He said, pointing to an empty space on the desk.

"Okay!" She said, heaving up the binder, as she stood while being careful not to put her weight on her right leg.

"Thanks," He murmured as she picked up her crutches.

She smiled and looked at him. "Mondainai!" With that, she turned and left, carefully opening the door, and pushing it open with her crutches, and carefully attempting to close it.

After she left, once again, Levi found that the cold, sadness had returned.

He was alone again.

He was alone with his thoughts.

Those same thoughts that tore out his soul, and destroyed whatever emotions he still had left.

He gripped the pen in his hand so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

He slowly brought his head down, and laid it on the desk.

 _Every time I'm alone. Every time I don't have something to **force** my mind to focus on. **Every time I'm left to think.**_ He thought, as he slowly lifted his head because he heard heavy footsteps down the hall.

Without even knocking, Hange burst through the door, holding a bottle and two small glasses in one hand, and the doorknob in the other.

Levi simply stared at her, completely unsurprised at the fact that she practically tore his door down.

He stared at her, bored as always, as he asked, "What do you want four-eyes."

She smiled a wicked, 'Evil-scientist' smile, as she said, "Drink!" And forcefully sat herself down in a chair, and slammed down the bottle on the desk.

He looked at her, same bored expression, and asked, "Drink what."

"This!" She said happily as she poured some of the unlabeled liquid into one of the glasses. "Here!"

"No."

"C'm _ooooooooo_ n," She whined. " **D _riiiin_ k**."

" **No**." He said more sternly.

"Levi! C' _mon_! Have some fun every once in a w _hi_ le!"

"Hange, you _know_ I don't drink." He said angrily.

" _Fiiiiiine_ ," She whined. "But at least drink on occasion!"

He growled. " **FINE.** " He shouted as he stood slightly. "If it'll make you **shut up** , I'll drink," He said, as he snatched the shot glass from her hand, and gulped down the entire glass in one swig.

He slammed the shot glass onto the desk coughing. " **WHAT DID YOU GIVE ME?"** He yelled.

She smiled wickedly. "Straight whiskey."

He growled through coughs. "Get out."

"What! Ooooow, you're no fun!"

" **OUT**." hE YELLED, POINTING AT THE DOOR.

She groaned and stood up, snatching her bottle of whiskey and the two shot glasses. "Fine, I'll just take my booze where it's appreciated," She said, walking to the door.

"Do whatever you want. Just go away." Levi mumbled, falling into his chair.

Hange looked down the hall, and smiled, before looking back at Levi and saying, "Don't be such a lonely sad sack!"

He glared at her before saying, "That is stupid."

"What?"

"What you just said. Now go."

She groaned. "Ooooow, Fine... See you tomorrow, Levi," She said, almost creepily.

He groaned and leaned his head back on the chair. "JUST GO AWAY."

* * *

Bara walked down the hall and saw Jean standing by himself.

"Jean?" She asked as she walked up to him. "What're you doing by Levi-sama's office?" She asked curiously.

"Oh, hey Bara. Nothing really..." He said, rubbing his arm.

"Why aren't you joining the others in their weird celebration?"

He shrugged. "It's just a bunch of yelling. I'd rather stand in this, relatively quiet hall. It's better than cleaning training or hanging around Sasha for any longer than five minutes..."

Bara smiled. "I don't like loud settings either, that's why I prefe-"

She was cut off by a loud bang from behind her.

Bara turned to look at what happened and saw that Levi's door was open.

"Prefer, helping, Levi..." Bara continued.

"Dieu non. C'est Hange." Jean murmured.

Bara glared at him. "I barely speak French, so you'd better translate." She said angrily.

"God no. It's Hange."

Bara sighed. "What does she want with Levi-sama?" She grumbled, walking down the hall.

"Levi, sama?" Jean asked quietly.

"Means Mr. Levi."

Jean stared in her direction, confused. "Why do you call him-"

This time _he_ was interrupted by loud banging, this coming from _inside_ Lev's office. This was followed shortly after by yelling.

Bara stopped when she heard yelling. "Great, Hange loves causing problems..." She grumbled.

Hange came stomping out of the office and seemed angry, but when she saw Bara, she smiled wickedly.

She said something to Levi before leaving.

She walked by Bara and said, " _Hiiiiiii_ , I think Levi _wanted_ you."

"Eh, okay..." Bara said timidly as Hange passed her.

She walked into the office and saw Levi sitting in his chair tiredly, looking up at the ceiling, his face flushed red.

"Uh...Levi-sama?" She asked slowly.

He slowly lifted his head to look at her. "Wh-what?"

"Hange said..." She started, pointing down the hall. "...Nevermind..."

He laid his head back down on the back of the chair.

"You look tired, are you okay?"

He closed his eyes. He stayed quiet for a moment, but eventually answered, "Why do you ask and say so many things like that?" He slurred just slightly.

She tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"You say things like you like my hair and handwriting...and ask if I'm tired...why? No one else asks..." He said quietly.

Bara felt bad for him, because no one even cared to complement him or ask if he was okay.

"And you just asked if I'm okay...And you always call me 'Levi Sa', or 'Levi-Sama'..."

"It, It's just because you seem tired, and I thought...you might..."

He groaned painfully.

"Is something wrong?"

He brought his head up to look at her and ran his hand through his hair. "Like that."

"What? It sounded like you were in pain..."

"That's because I _was_ in pain, I have a headache, but you shouldn't worry about that."

She stood there quietly for a moment. "Why?" She asked.

He hadn't really thought about it. About _why_ he didn't want her to compliment him or seem worried about him. He didn't answer, he just stared at her.

Eventually, he decided instead of answering, he'd add another one of the things he found strange about her. "Why do you come to my office to do paperwork? You don't have to."

"I know I don't have to. But I enjoy it." What she _really_ wanted to say, was, 'I enjoy spending time with you.'

He sighed. "You also like my hair, and I hate it. It's long and gets in the way. I constantly have to cut it. This undercut is the only way I can get it to stay out of my face."

She smiled. "Levi-sama, you shouldn't want anything about you to be different, it's what makes you, you"

He looked up at her surprised. "You really remember...what I told you?" He asked, still slightly slurring from the alcohol he's not used to.

She nodded. "Of course."

He laid his head down on the desk.

"I can leave if you want..." She said, pointing to the door behind her.

"Sure. Just close the door." He said into the oak desk.

"Hai, Sa. Goodnight, see you in the morning." She said with a smiled, before hopping out.

She closed the door softly behind her, and he sighed gently into the desk.

"What was that about?" Jean asked, as she joined him at the edge of the corridor, and followed him to their quarters.

She shrugged. "Nothing."

* * *

Levi smiled weakly. For once, when he was alone, the cold didn't swarm him, and he was left with a pleasant, warm, atmosphere in his office.

He closed his eyes and breathed out slowly, feeling very tired.

The last thing he remembered thinking was, _'_ _Cadet Tetsu is, nice...'_

* * *

 **(AN) I like the ending to this! I think making Levi happy is a good way to end this! I mean, really, how often is he happy? Also, I noticed something,**

 **For all my past chapters, I've been trying to put a heart symbol at the end, but it never showed up when I looked back at it. The three would always stay, but the 'greater than' sign, would always disappear...Oh well...**

 **Thank you for reading! ❤ :) There.**


	11. Something

**(AN) Just to let you know, (In case you didn't notice) Connie x Sasha is definitely in this. The _ship,_ that is. THIRTY- ONE. _THOUSAND._ WORDS. ****That isn't really high, _yet._ _But,_ It's only been just over two weeks! That's fifteen thousand words, and five chapters, a week! (On average.) Thank you for reading this much, and sitting through all these author notes! ;P When we get to ONE-HUNDRED-THOUSAND words, oh boy that'll be a doozy.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin. I _do_ own my OC (Bara Tetsu) And this little thing I've made.**

* * *

Levi sat up in his chair, with a piece of paper stuck to his forehead.

He furrowed his eyebrows, and shook his head slightly, shaking the paper off.

It slowly drifted back down onto the desk.

He looked up at the walls.

 _'It seems, brighter...'_ He thought, as he stood from his chair.

When he stood, the bright rays of light shooting through the window hit his eyes, blinding him for a moment, before his eyes adjusted. He squinted and looked out the window.

 _'It's **definitely** brighter...'_ He thought, stepping toward the window.

He gently pushed it open and saw the bright, blue, morning sky. The sun high, with few clouds around.

A slight smile graced his lips. _'I finally slept through the night...'_

He heard a knock on the door. "Come in," He murmured.

Bara stepped in. "Gozen Sa! (Morning sir!)"

He smiled as he stared out at the view of the courtyard. "Gozen..." He whispered back.

She walked closer toward him, he heard the loud clicks of her crutches. "Sa? You aren't dressed for training."

He turned and looked at her. "What time is it?" He asked quickly.

She paused a moment and looked up at the clock in the top right corner of the room, above his shelves. She looked back at him, pointing at the clock, as she said, "Seven fifteen."

His eyes widened slightly in surprise. His hands unconsciously gripping the window sill. He furrowed his brows and turned back to the window. "Well, that's new," He whispered.

* * *

Bara left to allow him to dress, and hopped down the hall, meeting up with Jean who was waiting.

"So, why exactly did we come here?" Jean asked as they walked down the corridors and headed outside.

"I wanted to say good morning Levi-sama."

Jean rolled his eyes. "You're weird, ya know that?"

Bara smiled. "Course' I know that it's my life and weirdness."

They stepped onto the courtyard, Bara smelled the fresh scent of grass and the crisp wind.

"It's getting colder," She murmured, as they crossed the courtyard, to where Eren, Armin, Mikasa, Krista, Connie, and Sasha were standing.

Jean shrugged. "Yeah, a little."

"Hey, Jean?" She said, turning her head to him.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"You're shorter than me, you know that, right?"

"What!? No way!"

She smiled. "Five-foot-ten."

"Wait, what!? How are you **that** tall!?"

Her smiled widened "How tall are you?"

He crossed his arms, and his face turned slightly red. He mumbled five-foot-something, but she couldn't make out all of it.

She bumped him with her elbow and asked again. "How _muuuuch_?"

He groaned. "Just don't make fun of me, okay?"

She scoffed. "Make fun of you!? I hang around Levi-sama almost all day, and you _really_ think I'm gonna make fun of you?"

"Well," He started. "It's different. I'm your friend, so you can make fun of me for my height, he's your captain, so if you make fun of him he'll make you clean the entire castle."

"I guess." She said with a shrug. "Just tell me!" She bumped him with her elbow again.

He sighed. "Fine, Five-foot-eight..." He murmured, just loud enough for her to hear.

"Knew it." She mumbled. "But that's not really something to be embarrassed about. Now, if you were shorter than Connie? PSHH!"

He chuckled. "Yeah, at least I'm taller than him..."

"Yeah, even Levi-sama's taller than him."

"At least he isn't the _shortest_ member of the survey corps."

Just as he said this, they reached their group of talking friends.

"Bara?" Armin started surprised. "You know you don't _have_ to be here, right?"

She nodded. "I know. I'm just here to tell this lazy lump," She started, bumping Jean with her elbow. "To run faster."

Jean smiled. "If anyone's a lazy lump it's Sasha," He whispered, only just loud enough for her to hear.

"Speaking of..." She whispered to him. " _Hey Connie, Sasha_. How was your day yesterday?" Bara asked.

They both went red.

"Wh-why do you ask?"

"Because you were gone all day!" She said in mock worry.

"We...spent the day together," Sasha mumbled.

"Really? Doing what?" Jean asked, jumping in on the fun.

"Uhh...w-well, ya know..." Sasha mumbled, rubbing her arm.

"W-we, umm, well we..." Connie stuttered out, scratching his buzzed head.

Just then, Levi walked up behind them.

"Dang, you get dressed fast Kyaputen!" Bara mumbled.

He smirked.

"Hello, Cadets," Levi said to the whole group of chatting friends.

"I'm a little late, I slept late."

Bara smiled, and whispered, just loud enough so that only Levi and Jean heard, "But that does not excuse you for being late."

Levi smirked, while Jean, on her other side, was looking at her like she was going to get them both killed. She smiled at him and shrugged. "What?"

Bara noticed that Levi's demeanor seemed different, in a good way.

She looked over at him, as she said, "You seem to be in a good mood today, Sa."

He smirked again. "That's because I am," He whispered to her.

"So, cadets," He started, now speaking louder. "Because I am in a good mood, I'll let you do whatever you want for your training."

Everyone cheered quietly in happiness.

Krista jumped up and down on the spot.

Mikasa remained unchanged, while Eren jumped once, and shouted in happiness.

Armin clapped until Krista ran up and hugged him. (AN: Krista loves hugging people.)

Connie smiled, while Sasha jumped around behind him, with her arms locked around his neck.

Levi glanced at Jean and Bara, the only two not celebrating.

"Well, what are you two going to do?" He was really only asking Jean because he knew Bara couldn't do any training, and would probably just follow Levi back to his office and help him with something.

Jean shrugged. "I don't know," He murmured, looking out at the other cadets. "I'll probably just do something she tells me to." He said, still staring at other cadets, and slapping Bara on the side of the head and neck.

Bara giggled and slapped his arm while she turned. "Well, I hope you know I like running!" She said pointing to a track behind him.

"Go!" She said, shoving him.

Levi smirked. "Those two are weird..." He whispered.

* * *

Bara watched Jean round his sixty-fourth lap. Jean's speed didn't waver all that much, for the most part.

"Getting tired yet loverboy?" Bara yelled as he passed her.

"N-nope." He said, stopping.

"Really?"

"Yup."

"Can you keep running?"

"Y-yeah, why?" He barely got out the question before,

"DON'T ASK QUESTIONS JUST RUN!" She yelled as she pushed him.

Jean groaned. " _WWHHHYYYY!?_ " He yelled as he ran faster

"Haha! Having fun?" She asked him.

" **NO,** " Jean yelled.

"Why not?" Bara asked whiningly.

"BECAUSE YOU ARE RUNNING ME RAGGED. LITERALLY."

Bara laughed as he stopped at the sixty-fifth lap.

"Okay, okay, you can stop."

He stopped by her side and his hands fell to his knees as he panted and gasped for air.

"Bye," She said as she walked back to the castle.

"Where are you going?" He asked, regaining his composure.

"Kyaputen's office." She called back.

He stared in the direction in which she left long after she was gone. "Wait, really?" He finally asked himself.

* * *

Bara hopped down the hall, to Levi's office. This had become to feel so routine, so _normal_. But, she was anything from normal. Having a routine helped her feel normal, and helped her stay focused. She always had to stay focused, she couldn't let things get in the way. And without a routine, she felt out of place, she couldn't go without set rules and routines. Having a routine helped her feel normal.

She shook all of those thoughts from her head as she knocked on the door.

 _KNOCK KNOCK_

No response.

 _KNOCK KNOCK_

Still no response.

 _KNOCK KNOCK_ _KNOCK KNOCK_

Nothing.

 _'Where is he?'_ She thought, as she slowly opened the door.

"Sa? Are you in here?" She asked hesitantly.

Still nothing.

She stepped in and saw that the bedroom door on the right-hand side of the room was open.

"Sa?" She called.

She heard footsteps in the other room.

Levi appeared in the doorway of the bedroom. "Oh, sorry, I didn't hear you from in the bathroom," He said, pointing into the other room.

She could now hear running water from the bathroom. _'I hope I didn't come at a bad time...'_ She thought.

"Oh, I didn't realize you had a bathroom connected to your office." She murmured.

He walked fully into the room. "Yeah, every squad leader has one."

She nodded. "Interesting. I guess you have much better quarters than us cadets," She said with a smile.

He didn't say anything but sat in front of her on the desk.

He just looked at her, and she started to feel awkward.

"Uhm, Levi-sama, wh-what are you..." She started, blushing slightly.

His expression changed slightly, but it was one she'd never seen from him.

"Why are you blushing?" He asked genuinely.

"Y-you're staring at me..."

"Oh," He looked away. "I didn't realize I was staring..." He mumbled.

She scratched her arm. "I-it's okay...I just...never mind."

"There's something about you." Levi blurted out.

"What?"

"There's a reason why I felt better today."

"Okay...Why?" She asked confused.

"You always noticed that I was always tired, right?"

"Yeah, not really today, though."

"Exactly."

"You aren't tired today? Is that why?"

"Yes. I usually only get about two to three hours of sleep a night. but last night I slept for _eight_ hours."

"W-wow, Levi-sama, I never realized you hot so little sleep..."

He looked away again. He couldn't say what he wanted to.

He wanted to say that the reason he was able to sleep so much easier was because she made him feel better.

 _'Would it be weird and inappropriate? No. Is it wrong to say? No. I can't say it...'_ Levi thought to himself. _'Why not? I don't know.'_

Levi tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling before he closed his eyes.

Like he said, there was something about her.

Something that made even a cold room feel warm and comforting.

Something he recognized, but couldn't put a pin on it.

Something he enjoyed the presence of, but couldn't bring himself to say it.

Something that made him feel different toward her as opposed to other cadets.

Something he didn't want to leave, even though he let it.

Something he didn't understand, though he wanted to.

Something that took up space in his mind.

Something that helped him forget all the bad things.

Something that genuinely made him feel happy.

"Sa?" He popped his head back up and looked at her through one open eye. "Weren't you going to get a bath?"

Something he felt comfortable around.

He glanced at the open bedroom door, but tilted his head back again and closed both eyes.

Something he wanted to be around more often.

"In a minute." He murmured.

Something he liked.

* * *

 **(AN) I thought this was a good place to end it! ;) Sorry for all the 'something' spam, but that was what I wanted to put at the beginning of each sentence, so, DEAL WITH IT. (thug life sunglasses fly in from every angle.) Also, sorry that this one is a little short, (It's not really short, pretty much what I mean is, I wanted it to be longer.) I just decided "THIS IS THE PERFECT SPOT TO END IIIIIIIT!" Yeah and at that point, there was no changing my mind...**

 **Anyways, thank you for reading! Please leave a review! ❤**

 **PS: In this chapter, Levi said "Why not? I don't know." This is a little game, it's from a song, one of my favorite songs, by a Japanese artist. Guess on this chapter, and I'll tell you in the next! Have fun trying to guess!**


	12. Tokyo Teddy Bear

**(AN) Hello! I'd like to thank you for reading this far! I'd like specifically to thank SecretWishX for favoriting, following, and reviewing my story! Also, I'd like to thank GothicFairie for following! Thank you guys for supporting! At the beginning, I was afraid no one was going to read or like my story. Of course, that's a fear that all authors have, but thanks to you guys, and the seventy-some-odd number of other people, who at least clicked on my story, I feel a little more confident about this. Thank you all so much, and please keep reading, and please review! I'd love to hear what you have to say!**

 **Thirty-thousand words! Can't wait 'till I get to One-hundred-thousand! I'll see you there! Thank you for your support! And sorry for such long author notes! ;) This one is going to be very long too! You're in for a ride!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin. I _do_ own my OC, these twelve chapters of words, and maybe a few pens...**

 **WARNING: T** **here are some possibly triggering subjects. Violence, child-abuse, bartering of humans, self-harm, attempted suicide. Please do not read if you feel uncomfortable reading these subjects.**

* * *

A young girl ran down the street, holding a burlap bag of groceries she'd just bought.

She smiled when she saw two children of about her age (A boy and girl) walk around a corner.

They spotted her as well. "Shisuta! (Sister)" The blue-haired girl said, running toward her, her arms spread out.

"Ran!" The young girl yelled back, opening her arms, and hugging Ran.

"Hi, Bar." The slightly older, dark green-haired boy said.

"Basil!" She said, looking up at him, the younger Ran still in her arms.

"Why d'you call her Bar?" Ran asked him.

Basil patted her head and smiled. "It's a nickname."

"So, Bara," Hana started. "What're you doing?"

"Just getting some groceries." She said as she walked along with the other two kids.

"How's your ma?" Ran asked.

"Ma and Pa are still having money troubles. This was all that we could afford for food this week," Bara said, lifting the small burlap bag.

Basil hummed and stepped closer to her. "My mother said she didn't like what she saw going on recently."

"Watcha mean?" Ran asked.

"She said that she's seen riots. People are getting more and more violent, and more people are falling into poverty." Basil responded.

"Whats poverty?" Ran asked.

"Never mind..." Basil sighed. "You're too young to understand."

Ran huffed. "I'm not too young! I'll understand! Just use smaller words!"

Bara put her hands up, calming her, and said, "What he means is, people are angry and destroying things. But other people, who aren't destroying things, are having trouble paying for things."

Ran looked at her, still slightly confused, but she understood it enough to say, "Oh, well, my mommy is going through things like that too. She said someone tried to hurt her one day about a week ago."

Bara nodded solemnly. "I guess a lot of people are having money troubles." She said quietly, as they turned the last corner to Bara's house.

"Bar, who's that?" Basil asked.

He saw two men standing in front of the house (one was taller, and wearing a trench coat, one was bigger, and wearing a denim jacket) with her mother, and father talking frantically, trying to sort something out.

"I...,don't know,..." She said slowly.

The two men seemed threatening and angry.

"They don't look too happy..." Ran mumbled into Bara's arm, as she moved closer to her.

"No, they don't," Basil said, bringing an arm in front of them, and stepping ahead, protecting them.

Bara gripped the back of Hana's shirt, keeping her close. Quiet crackles sounded from small pebbles being stepped on. Basil was now close enough to hear what they were talking about.

"We don't have any more time or second chances to give. Times up, pay." the taller man said.

The other man stepped forward and grabbed Bara's father's shirt. "And I suggest you do it **now**. We've already given you _more_ than enough time." He said in a deep voice.

"P-please! We don't have any money!"

"Well, then you'd better-" The bigger man started, but was cut off.

"Then we'll just take something." The taller, calmer man in the trenchcoat said.

The bigger man frowned at the taller one, as he threw Bara's father back.

Bara's father stumbled back and almost fell. "Please! Just don't hurt us! Take anything you want!" He yelled, putting up his hands.

The taller man stepped forward, chuckling. "Don't worry," He started, opening a pocket of his coat. "We won't hurt you, just so long as you comply..." He pulled out a knife, pushing the blunt side onto his wrist.

Bara's parents stepped backward. "P-please! We won't do anything! Just don't hurt us!" Bara's mother yelled.

"Kira, come over here." Bara's father whispered to her mother, beckoning for her to move away from the men.

"Nikushimi, where is Bara?" Kira asked quietly, as she stood next to her husband.

Nikushimi looked around, and spotted his daughter about twenty yards away, with Basil and Ran.

"There," He said, pointing at them. "We'll sell you our daughter." Bara's father said without emotion.

The two men turned and looked, the taller one smiling, and saying, "There's our payment." to the bigger man.

Bara looked at the two men in horror, seeing the look in the taller one's eyes, and the knife in his hands.

Bara looked at Basil, who was looking at her and Ran with worry.

He mouthed the word 'run', and that was all she needed, she grabbed Ran by the arm, and turned, running down the street she had just crossed.

"Hey!" One of the men yelled. They tried to follow after them, but Basil stopped them.

He stood in front of them, keeping them away from his friends.

"I suggest you move, kid," The taller one said, pointing the knife at him.

Basil remained unchanged, even with a knife to his face.

"We don't have any reason to hurt you, but if you don't move, we'll be free to-" The bigger one started, but was cut off by Basil running into him, tackling him.

He used all his might to push the big man down. He'd caught him off guard, which worked to his advantage.

When the man hit the ground, the taller one glared at him. "That was a mistake kid." He spat angrily.

Basil stood, as the bigger man lay on the ground. He grimaced. "Stop calling me kid."

The tall man pointed his knife in the green head's face for the second time in less than a minute. He didn't even flinch.

"I can call you _kid_ if I damn well want to." He sneered.

Basil furrowed his brows. "Stop it."

"You realize that in the situation you're in, you should be the one taking orders from me, not vice versa, right brat?"

Basil flared his teeth. " **Stop it**."

The man laid a hand on his hip and furrowed his brows. "If you don't stop acting like a whiny little _twerp_ I'm going to have to-" Before he could finish his threat, Basil's right hand flew up, sending his wrist into a vice grip.

The man's eyes widened slightly at the strength in the boy's arm. He fidgeted his hand, trying to pry it loose, but Basil's arm never budged. He dropped the knife on the ground, landing by Basil's feet, and let his hand fall slack in Basil's grip.

The grip he was expecting to loosen only tightened. He pulled hard on his hand, only managing to elicit the slightest movement from his arm. But little known to Basil, the bigger man had stood behind him, and he was _a lot_ stronger than the man he held.

The large man grabbed Basil by the shoulders and threw him to the ground.

He hit the ground with a painful and loud crack. He screamed in pain as he realized that as he hit the ground the large man stomped on his legs, breaking them painfully.

"Damn you." Basil sneered.

The tall man smirked dangerously. "Gado, keep him here."

The bigger man nodded. "Yeah, hurry up Namari, otherwise the _paycheck_ will get away." He said, referring to Bara.

Namari smirked. "Just keep this _**brat,**_ here, don't let him leave." He said, kicking Basil in the stomach.

Basil groaned in pain. "Sta-stop it..." He struggled out.

"You see," Namari started, kneeling down so that he could speak to Basil. "I'm quite experienced in bending people so that they meet my will. I suggest you don't cause a problem like this again."

Basil growled, flaring his teeth, and shouted, " **STAY AWAY FROM BARA AND RAN.** "

Namari frowned as he stood. "Gado, deal with his attitude while I'm gone."

Gado smiled, as he walked toward Basil. He cracked his knuckles, as he said, "Don't worry, when I'm done with him he'll be completely submissive."

Namari waved his hand at him as he walked away. "Do whatever. But when I come back, I don't want to see the same whining brat with an attitude too big for his age."

Namari ran with great speed down the streets. He turned a quick corner and saw that there were two different paths. He frowned. "Dummer Gabel in der Straße... (German: Stupid fork in the road.)" He mumbled. He listened closely, he heard faint footsteps to his right.

He decided that the odds were a flip of a coin. He turned right, deciding to go with his gut, and his ears.

Just as he turned, he heard two pairs of fast footsteps behind him. He snapped around, he didn't see a person, but a wisp of brown hair, and a red jacket.

"There." He said as he ran after the two. He saw them fully now, and the girl whose hair he saw was definitely Bara. " **STOP.** " He yelled after them.

Bara's body flinched, as Ran ran past her. ( **an** , Oh god, Ran, ran... Well, it's more pronounced, Ron.)

Ran turned and looked at her. "Bara! C'mon!" She yelled as loudly as she could, but couldn't snap her friend out of the immobilizing trance she was stuck in.

Namari walked up to her, holding his knife at the ready. He grabbed her by the shoulder, turning her to look at him.

Her eyes were wide with horror, her irises just brown dots in her eyes, her skin was pale, and a bead of cold sweat fell down her forehead.

Now that she was facing him, he grabbed a fistful of her hair, so that she couldn't move, and held the knife to her cheek.

"Are you going to comply?" Namari asked cynically.

Her eyes widened more, all her muscles stiffening.

He tugged hard on her hair, and she winced in pain. " **ARE. YOU. GOING. TO. COMPLY.** " He yelled, with another tug of her hair.

She winced again and nodded slowly.

"Good..." He said, putting his knife away.

He brought his hand down and grabbed all of her hair in one big handful. He pulled it up above her head, and with one swift movement cut it all to above shoulders length.

She flinched as he swept the knife above her head.

The hair no longer attached to her head fell down her shoulders, and on the road.

He smirked as he put away his knife.

He grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her.

He began to walk back to her house.

She twisted her head so that she could look back at Ran. She mouthed the words 'Go, now'.

Ran nodded and ran down the street.

Namari threw her on the ground next to Basil, making her drop the bag of groceries.

"B-Bara." Basil struggled out.

She gasped at his appearance. Covered in bruises and blood.

He reached his hand out for hers and grabbed it.

His hand was rough, covered in blood and dirt, completely juxtapose to Bara's soft, pale, clean hands.

A tear streamed her cheek. "Why?" She asked weakly.

Basil's face twisted into one of fear, sadness, and **pity**. "I don't know." He whispered weakly, hoarsely.

Namari stomped on the hands they held together, yelling, "Move it brat! I don't have all day!"

She stood weakly, just to have her arm grabbed and be thrown toward a car.

The other, shorter yet bigger man, from earlier, grabbed her and pushed her into the car, slamming the door.

Namari got in the front seat and buckled his seatbelt.

"Buckle up **brat**. It's gonna be a long ride."

She did as she was told, quickly buckling her seatbelt.

She looked out the window at Basil, lying weakly on the ground, staring at her in horror.

"No." She whispered weakly, as the car began to move.

She placed her hand on the window, smearing blood and dirt on it.

" **Why**."

* * *

Bara's eyes snapped open, and a jolt of pain was sent up her spine, causing her back to twitch in pain.

Her eyes were tinged red, stinging with tears.

More jolts of pain shot through her body. She seethed as she sat up.

"Bara? Are you okay?" Jean asked from the cot.

She glanced over the bed at him, pain showing in her eyes.

His gaze was one of worry, **pity**.

"I-I'm fine..." She said sniffling, wiping tears.

His gaze still pitying, and fixated off her, he said, "You were yelling in your sleep."

She looked away from him, her eyelids falling lower. "Oh, sorry, did I wake you?"

Jean sighed. "Stop being stupid, I'm worried."

She looked at him, the pain still evident in her eyes.

"No, d-don't be worried..." She said, choking back sobs, as she looked away again.

"Are you okay?" He asked again.

"Yes, now, just go back to bed..." She said sternly, laying back down and rolling painfully onto her left side, _away_ from him.

He sighed. "Okay..."

* * *

Levi sat up in bed, looking out at the window. The sky was black, brushed lightly with orange, and speckled with stars. Light, pink clusters of clouds here-and-there.

He grimaced as he stood out of bed.

"Another day of waking at the ass-crack of dawn." He grumbled angrily, walking to his dresser, and quickly getting dressed.

"I just need a break from life."

He walked out of his bedroom, and into his office.

Everything was too dark, and his eyes hadn't adjusted.

He squinted and looked on his desk, finding the candle he was looking for.

He frowned, the candle was almost completely gone, because one day he had left it lit, and it burned until there was too much liquid wax for it to keep burning.

He lit it. 'Just enough light...' He thought, as he grabbed a piece of paper.

He grabbed his quill pen and quickly scribbled down a note.

He stood, and walked back to his bedroom, grabbing his emerald green cloak, and walked back to the desk. He grabbed his note, and blew out the candle, not forgetting this time.

He walked to his door. He hesitated slightly. 'Why? Why am I hesitating?' He asked himself. 'I don't know...' Was the only answer he could give himself.

never-the-less, he still walked out into the hallway, taking a detour from heading straight outside, to go to Bara's quarter again.

He placed the note the same place as last time, between the door and wall.

"My luck Kirschtein'll probably find it." He mumbled as he turned down the hallway, now heading outside.

* * *

Jean sat up and looked out the window. The sky was blue, a long streak of purple across it.

"Morning..." He mumbled.

He glanced at Bara. "Are you awake?" He asked quietly.

She didn't respond but he knew she was awake. He knew she never fell back asleep.

He stood up and stepped over to the bed. She was still facing away from him.

He leant over the bed and looked at her.

Her eyes were pained and strained open, tears soaking her pillow. Her right hand gripped the sheets, her other laying open next to her face.

A pitiful sight.

' **Stop PITYING ME**.' Bara thought, clamping her eyes shut tight, and gripping the sheets harder.

Jean frowned. Though the look he had in his eyes was sincere, she was rejecting his caring like he was _pretending_ to care.

He gently placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling her jump slightly. "It's like you said," He started gently, sweetly. "It helps to have someone there.

Tears fell as she looked at him. "Please, Jean, don't pity me."

His gentle eyes looked into her pained, tear-filled ones. "I'm not. I-I'm just...worried."

Her head fell back onto the pillow. "D-don't you need to leave? _You_ still have training..."

"Yeah..." He murmured, grabbing his training clothes.

She was still facing away from him, so he could dress.

He sighed as he took one last look at her, and opened the door. He heard something fall. "What's this?" He asked as he bent over and picked up a slip of paper. "A note?" He asked himself, almost whispering.

"What is it?" Bara asked from behind him.

"It's a note," He started, unfolding the paper, and was slightly surprised by the signature. "from Levi." He finished.

"Put it on the dresser." She mumbled, knowing full-well what it was on the note.

The note read:

 _Tetsu, I'm in the courtyard, same place as last time_

 _underneath the tree in the center. Come if you want,_

 _and again, don't tell anyone else. I don't want anyone_

 _annoying coming here. I deal with those brats for the_

 _bare minimum each day, no need to have a headache_

 _longer than necessary. It's fine if you don't want to_

 _come, don't feel obligated to just because I'm your_

 _captain. If you don't want to come, I'd rather you not._

 _~Levi_

Jean chuckled inwardly as he folded up the note, and placed it on the dresser, as Bara told him to do.

He walked out the door and decided that since it was early, he'd visit the captain and tell him Bara isn't coming.

He walked across the courtyard, very quickly being able to see Levi where the note said he would be.

Levi sighed inwardly. _'I assume Tetsu isn't coming...'_ He thought, as he closed his eyes and leaned his head against the trunk of the tree.

"Hello, sir," Jean said politely, taking a place underneath the tree.

He waved his hand at him rather rudely. He ignored it and continued.

"Bara won't be here. She doesn't seem to feel very good today." He said very formally.

Levi opened an eye. "What, like, sick?"

"No, more like," He started, pausing to think. "depressed."

Levi opened his other eye. "Really?"

Jean nodded. "She woke up after having a bad dream. She was crying..." He started, his words lingering off.

Levi furrowed his brows and looked away, leaning his head against the tree again.

"Depressed..." He repeated quietly, almost unable to believe that the person who made a cold room feel warm was currently feeling depressed.

He was slightly worried because he too had a bit of an understanding about feeling that way.

 _'Don't do anything stupid Tetsu...'_ He thought.

Levi looked to his left, looking over the entire courtyard. "So why are you here."

Jean seemed slightly surprised. "Oh, um...Just to tell you that...I guess..."

Levi sighed. "Don't guess. Tell me why you're here, and _still_ here, or **leave**."

Jean paused. "No reason besides telling you that."

Levi remained silent for a good moment. Jean stood awkwardly, thinking Levi was going to say something.

"So," Jean started, nervously. "what do you usually do out here?"

"Nothing," Levi responded quickly. "I'm only out here because it's better than sitting around inside."

"Oh..." Jean responded stupidly.

Levi frowned. He didn't like being around Jean. He didn't know why. "Didn't you see the note? It specifically said **not** to bring other brats."

Jean looked back to the castle, and then at Levi. "Oh, sorry, I can leave..."

Levi sighed. "Leave, stay, just don't be so...uncomfortable. It's bothering me."

Jean looked at him quizzically, though Levi couldn't see his face because his eyes were still closed. "What? What do you mean?"

Levi opened his eyes and looked at him annoyed. He clicked his tongue making a _'tsk'_ sound, before he said, "Your nervousness is infectious. Stop it."

"Wha-but. I can't just, **stop** feeling nervous. The brain doesn't really work that way...sir..."

He sighed and rolled his eyes, looking away he said, "Why are you nervous."

Jean paused for a moment. He'd never really thought about it. "Well, you're my captain. So a little bit of that I guess. And you _are_ a bit of an intimidating man..."

Levi crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "Well, your nerves are making the earth feel uncomfortable. So calm down or go away."

Jean thought about something for a moment, furrowing his brows in thought. He was trying to remember something. He turned around as he said, "Uh, sir does my jacket still say 'horse-face?" He pointed to his back and turned his head slightly looking at him from the corner of his eye.

Levi smirked. "I'm going to assume that your clearly very friendly roommate did that."

"You'd be correct," Jean said sighing and scratching the back of his head. "I'd meant to get it off, It's been there a few days..."

"How have I not noticed...?" Levi mumbled.

Levi looked back out to the courtyard.

"Do you enjoy nature?" Jean asked.

Levi shrugged, and turned his head forward again. Closing his eyes, and leaning his head against the tree, he said, "It's not bad..."

Jean chuckled.

Levi opened an eye. "What?" He asked annoyed.

"Nothing, it's just, I've never heard someone call nature 'not bad'."

Levi shrugged again, closing his eye. "Well, it isn't."

Jean walked closer to the trunk of the tree. Lev's eyebrow twitched as his ears picked up the sound of quiet crunching. The kind of obnoxiously quiet crunching that sends shivers down your spine and drives you crazy (If you are OCD like Levi here...).

Jean leant against the tree trunk opposite to Levi's side. "I like nature," Jean said, resting his head comfortably against the tree.

Levi hummed. "Good for you. I guess nature should be enjoyed..."

Jean smiled. "Yeah, It's better to enjoy the pretty things, rather than ignore them."

Levi's eyebrow twitched. Of course, his scarred mind instantly brought images of Isabelle's decapitated head, Farlan's torso cut from his body, Petra's pulverized body, to his view.

He snarled his teeth and closed his eyes tightly, lowering his brows. _'No.'_ He thought, as more memories of the things he didn't cherish while he had appeared to him. ' **STOP IT.** '

He shook his head violently, as he shifted his weight forward, off the tree. ' **stop it, stop it, STOP IT!** ' He screamed inside his head as he took two steps forward.

Jean leant off the tree and glanced around it, wondering why Levi was moving.

Levi turned, and sent his fist flying quickly into the tree.

Jean jumped back and almost fell as the tree shook wildly.

Levi pulled his arm back to his side. He felt blood trickle down his knuckles. He turned, now facing the castle.

"I'll be back." He snarled, as he began to walk to the castle.

"O-o...kay..." Jean said slowly, confusedly.

* * *

Levi stamped down the hall. When he passed Bara's door, he reluctantly stopped. He frowned. _'Stop thinking about her so damn much.'_ He scolded himself, as he pushed on toward the infirmary.

He walked in the infirmary and barged past multiple who were trying to ask him why he was there. He ignored all of them and pushed them out of the way. He peeled off the glove off his right hand and sneered in pain.

"Damn it." He growled, pulling some gauze off a table.

He grimaced as he studied his hand, closing and opening his fingers, and stretching them out. He gasped in pain when he extended his fingers completely.

He growled as he wrapped gauze around them. His hand felt _slightly_ broken.

 _'There's no such damn thing as **slightly broken**.'_ He thought to himself, as he wrapped the gauze around his hand tightly one more time, and bit it off.

He walked down the hall, leaving a room full of confused nurses in his wake.

He growled as he turned the corner and was about to walk past Bara's room.

His body froze as he thought he heard, _crying?_

He turned and faced the door. _'No, no one's crying, it's in your head, shut up. You can't even believe your own damn ears.'_

He retained his frown as he walked back out into the courtyard, seeing a large group of cadets.

 _'Great, just so god damn **GREAT**.'_

* * *

Bara sat up in bed, once again, a strong jolt of pain shot through her spine, making her wince.

She had been laying there for about three hours, just staring at the wall.

Her vision was blurry, her eyes filled with tears and tinged red.

She wiped stray tears that had fallen down her cheeks, and painfully stood from the bed, only causing more pain.

She yelped slightly as she gained some sort of footing.

She quickly lost the footing, and fell to the ground, her knees smashing into the wood floor, not covered by Jean's cot.

She yelled out in pain as her hands slammed into the floor. Her body shook as sobs forced their way out. She slammed her head into the floor, screaming in agony. Both emotional and physical pain taking their immense toll on her body.

Her vision swirled into a daze of black. Her mind was being clouded by depression, a catatonic death sentence, finding herself unable to control herself, and stop the wails of pain from erupting.

Finally, she managed to smash her head on the ground so hard that she blacked out, letting out one more, tiny cry.

* * *

Training was running smoothly, but everyone knows Hange knows how to ruin things. She came running out of the castle straight toward Eren spouting something about being able to use some of Eren's DNA to create a healing serum.

Levi frowned. "four-eyes, if you keep stealing him away he's going to die on the field because half of his _training_ is running damn tests on him."

Hange frowned. "Oh come on! He's a titan! He can't die!"

Levi's eyebrow twitched as he tried his hardest not to just flip her off and tell her to go back into the castle.

"We don't know that idiot."

She whined obnoxiously sending a wave of pain through his temples. "But _Leeeeeeviiiiii_! This could be useful! If I get the right formula, and a couple of expendable test subjects... all I would have to do is get DNA from our little shifter here, and maybe I could figure out what it is that allows him to regenerate, and _then_ -"

"GOOD LORD HANGE **_SHUT_ UP.** Just take him." He said, waving his hand at her.

She squealed. "YAY! We'll be back later!" She yelled as she began to pull Eren across the courtyard.

"Wait, how much DNA?" Eren asked timidly.

She shrugged. "Probably enough to fill a test tube."

"DEAR LORD YOU'RE GOING TO KILL ME, YOU CRAZY WOMAN!" Eren screamed, trying to pull his arm from her surprisingly strong grip.

She laughed wickedly. "Don't worry sweetie, you'll regenerate!"

Eren tried pulling his arm once more but ultimately gave up. "Can we just not take it all at once?" He whined.

"We'll see!" She said excitedly.

 ** _"_ _WHHYYYY!?"_** Eren whined.

Levi stared at the castle entrance where Hange had disappeared with Eren. He growled and threw his arm up. " **CONTINUE TRAINING BRATS**."

* * *

Bara's eyes slid open, pain pounding in her head. Her vision was clouded with red, her eyes stinging painfully from more than just tears.

She painfully pushed her head up on weak trembling arms. Something dripped off her face. A red dropped splashed into a puddle the same shade.

 _Blood_

She squeezed eyes shut, trying to block out the pain.

 _Bara. look at me._

Basils soothing but pained voice echoed through her head.

 _Bara. I don't want you to worry anymore._

She gripped her hair in her heads, sobbing painfully.

 _It's okay, Bara, don't worry about me._

She smashed her head on the ground again, splashing in the puddle of maroon blood already soaking her hair.

 _We'll meet again, I promise._

She shifted her weight so that she sat back on her legs. Her arms falling slack, and her head tilting back.

 _Please, don't feel sad._

Tears mixed with blood dripped down her face.

 _I love you, Bara._

She sobbed loudly, pounding her fists into the floor until her knuckles were bloody and raw. Her body fell forward, shaking with pain.

 _And I know you love me too._

"B-basil...I'm sorry..." She sobbed out.

 _Bara, I've always protected you and helped you._

Bara's arms struggled underneath her chest, trying to push herself back up again.

 _Please, just, live happily Bara._ _Just, don't hate yourself, It's no one's fault._

The last words Basil spoke to her echoed through her head over and over again.

 _Don't worry, I'll forgive you for any mistakes you make._

She remembered the sweet smile he held on his face.

 _Because I love you._

Those were the last words he ever said before she found his body, bitten in half.

She finally managed to stand, her vision clouded with blackness, her mind falling into a deep abyss of depression.

She stumbled past the cot, and to the dresser, ripping out the drawers, their contents spilling everywhere.

She pulled out several drawers. Many empty, a few holding random papers and other things, a few containing clothes.

She pulled out one more drawer, her mind too clouded with grief and anger to remember which drawer she wanted.

When the drawer flung out, it scattered stationary products everywhere. Papers, a ruler, an envelope opener, scissors, pencils, pens, stapler, staple remover.

Her eyes scan quickly over the mass of items on the floor.

 _Scissors_ _._

Her mind tells her.

 _Grab the scissors._

She complies, unable to thin anything else.

 _Grab the scissors._

She falls on her knees, facing the door, and grabs the scissors sloppily. Her eyes still burning with tears, her face dripping with blood, she presses the scissors against her delicate, pale wrists.

Sobs escape her, she doesn't even realize it until it's surprisingly loud.

In the back of her mind, she acknowledges hearing what sounds like footsteps, but the rest of her mind forces her to continue, it forces her not to care about the consequences.

She stabs the scissors painfully into her wrist. Blood trickles down her arm as she prods it into another spot on her wrist.

She repeatedly stabs one specific point.

She cries and weeps in pain, though her mind is so numb she isn't feeling _physical_ pain, she's feeling mental, and emotional pain.

* * *

Levi walked down the hall to his office, very annoyed at this day. Hange didn't come back with Eren at all, so he assumed that she was either taking an extremely long time to do her 'DNA' extraction thing, or she was blabbering on to him about titans or something else repulsive and stupid.

He walked by Bara's door. Once again, for some reason, he found himself inadvertently taking the path that passes Bara's room.

He furrowed his brows, and was about to continue walking, but heard something that made his blood run cold.

 _She's, sobbing._

He heard more, louder sobs escaping the room.

He turned and walked to the door, gently placing a hand on the cold wood.

He could hear more noises from inside. _Wait,_ he listened closer. _what is she saying...?_

"Aisaretai to." The words spilled out of her mouth.

"Motto joubuna hasami de, Kao kiritoru no sa." She yelled, shoving the scissors harder into her delicate bleeding skin.

"Shoujikimon wa nani o miru, shoujikimon wa baka o miru!

Shoujikimon wa nani o miru, shoujikimon wa baka o miru!"

She sliced vertically across her left wrist and switched the scissors into her left hand.

"Mou nanimo nai yo nanimo nai yo hiki hagasarete. Ito kuzu no umi e to kono saibou mo. Sou boku inai yo boku inai yo nage sutararete. Kaeru basho saru doko ni mo, nainda yo! Sonzai shoumei."

She prepared to take the last push and cut the other wrist, ending her life, but she was stopped.

Levi slammed the door open. He had no idea what to expect, but from what he heard her say, he knew it wouldn't be good, but was he expecting this? No.

Random items sitting everywhere, blood covering the ground in a puddle around her, stabbing herself in the wrist with a pair of scissor!?

His eyes were wide with shock as he looked at Bara with sympathy. He was giving her a look Bara didn't recognize.

"Tetsu!?" He had to try his hardest not to use her first name. "Wh-what are you doing!?" He knew full well what she was trying to do.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, sobbing. "I'm sorry." She whispered again, looking back down at her wrist. "I'm sorry, but I have to do this." She said, preparing to slice her wrist.

Before Bara could blink Levi fell to the ground kneeling, gently grabbing her hands. She looked at his face, he looked at her with worry, not pity.

She broke down in painful sobs, falling into his chest and dropping the scissors. He wrapped his arms around her, one hand on her head, the other on her back.

She gripped his shirt, smearing blood and tears on it. He looked around at the room over her shoulder.

 _'Dear lord, could I have come in at a better time?'_ Levi asked himself, feeling Bara shake in his arms.

He grabbed a tissue from his pocket, with his name embroidered on it, and gently wiped away the tears and blood from her face. He dropped it to the ground, not exactly his biggest priority at the moment, so he didn't care.

He slowly stood, bringing her up with him.

"I'll take you to the infirmary, so they can-"

"N-no..." Bara choked out. "No, d-don't help me, I-I want to die...s-stop, leave me...n-no one is supposed to care about me."

Levi looked at her worriedly. "No, why would you say that?"

"No one cares, everyone that cares is dead."

"I promise you that people care about you," Levi said sincerely.

She gave up, her body didn't have enough strength to match her will.

She sobbed into his shirt as he half dragged her, half carried her down the hall to the infirmary.

"OI." He yelled when he got there. He wrapped her in his cloak and continued to hold her close as he walked over to a bed with her. A nurse came over. "Help her, **NOW**." He ordered the woman.

"Oh my goodness!" The woman hopped back and looked about to faint. She was shocked at what happened. She called over a few other people and got to work trying to bandage and clean her.

Bara weakly lifted her pale, blood-stained hand. "N-no, please, stop!"

Levi gently held her hand. "Please, don't act like your life has no meaning."

Her eyes widened slightly at the realization that it was _Levi_ who just helped her, _Levi_ who just carried her all that way, _Levi_ who was holding her hand.

Her eyes curved in sadness as she cried more. "Please just don't leave me here alone." She pleaded weakly.

"I won't leave." He affirmed, squeezing her hand very gently.

Her eyes slowly closed, engulfing her body in a much-needed sleep, as the nurses worked very hard on cleaning her wounds and wrapping her wrists.

* * *

Jean walked down the hall, slightly stretching his arms. He already felt tired and it wasn't even that late yet.

He stepped in front of the room and reached his hand out for the knob, but his entire body froze, his eyes widening in horror.

The door was swung open, blood, blood was everywhere.

"D-dear god." He said as he stepped in slightly. He glanced around quickly, looking at what had happened. He saw multiple footprints in the blood, not from just one person, different boot sizes.

One slightly bigger. (Yes Levi's foot is smaller than Bara's, of course, he's shorter.)

He saw a tissue sitting on the ground, and walked over to it, kneeling down to pick it up. _Levi_ was embroidered on it in cursive.

"Levi?" He whispered.

He stood and ran out the door, heading for Levi's office.

He slammed open the big oak door, not even caring to knock, expecting to see an uncaring Levi sitting at his desk filling in papers or something, but there was nothing. No one had been in the room all day.

He turned around slightly confused.

A very distraught nurse ran up to him.

"Jean Kirschtein?" She asked, almost out of breath.

"Um, yes, why?"

"You need to come to the infirmary now! Under the request of Captain Levi!" She said, begging to pull his arm in the direction of the Infirmary.

 _I underestimated Levi._

"Is it Bara? Bara Tetsu?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so." She said worriedly.

Jean starting running very quickly down the hall past the nurse.

* * *

It took many hours for the nurses to clean and cover her wounds and Levi stayed there waiting the entire time. Just moments ago he'd sent a nurse to find Jean, he just hopes that he'll be here soon, he's one of the only people who he knows Bara actually enjoys being around, and loves as a friend, whether they truly do show it or not.

Jean ran into the wide doorway of the infirmary.

"I, I came here as fast as I could. What happened?" He asked, just walking up to the bed.

He gasped in disbelief as he saw her bandaged wrists covered in blood.

"Oh, my god." He whispered.

He sat next to the bed, next to Levi.

"What happened?" He asked very worriedly.

Levi looked at her distraughtly sleeping face solemnly as he said, "She attempted to commit suicide."

Jeans eyes went wide. "Oh my god." He whispered, his head falling onto Bara's sleeping stomach.

"Why, why, why, why?" He asked, as he gently held her wrist.

Levi looked out the window. "I want you to watch her from now on. Never let this happen again. Never leave her alone again. You will be excused from training for the next four weeks until she can resume training. Even then, I don't want you letting her out of your sight. She is mentally and emotionally unstable and clearly has suicidal thoughts. I trust you not to let this happen to your friend again."

Jean nodded slowly as he held her bruised and battered hand. "O-of course."

Bara woke up, and gently ran her hands through Jean's hair.

"J-Jean." She said, crying once again. "S-so, you really do care..."

"Yes, of course, I do." He said, bringing a hand up and gently wiping her tears with his thumb, and cupping her cheek with his hand.

"Don't ever do that again," Levi said, still staring out the window.

Bara teared up again. "I-I'll try...Levi..."

His eyes were half-lidded, as he said, "You had me waiting a long time for you to wake up."

"R-really? You were here the entire time?"

"I said I wasn't leaving. I never break a promise."

Bara smiled weakly. "Th-thank you. So much."

"I would never let one of my cadets commit suicide without even _trying_ to stop them."

"St-still...Thank you."

"You're welcome," Levi said softly.

He stood, stretching his arms and legs slightly. "Oi...I've been sitting there a while. Kirschtein, can I count on you to stay here?"

Jean nodded, his cheek sitting on Bara's stomach, and each hand holding her wrists gently, rubbing his thumbs along her arms.

"Good." He said as he turned.

"Get better B-, Tetsu, and don't scare us like that again." Once again he almost called her by her first name.

"I'll try not to Levi. I-I'm sorry I made you worry..."

"I forgive you," Jean said.

Levi walked out the doorway and headed back to his office. He was _very_ tired. "I hope I sleep well tonight, I need sleep. Well, I always need sleep, but..." He mumbled.

* * *

 **(AN) OH MY GOD. SEVEN-THOUSAND 'S A LOT FROM ONE CHAPTER. Thank you so much for reading this one, though! I hope you sat through the whole thing, and at least somewhat enjoyed it. ;) The feels, though...And the song from last chapter with the line 'Why not, I don't know.' Is Tokyo Teddy Bear, By Vocaloid! I love that song. Please leave a review! ❤**


	13. The calm after the storm

**(AN) Sorry about taking so long to post this. :( I really am sorry. I've had a bit of writer's block for this story. I knew what I want to write, I just didn't know how to type it up. Again, really sorry. I've also been super busy with posting a bunch of new stories, and I'd be super grateful if you could check it out!**

* * *

Levi walked down the hall, once again taking the path that crossed Bara's bedroom, but this time on purpose.

He walked into the still open door. He glared at the floor like it had done something wrong. He clicked his tongue "Tch. Disgusting."

He clicked his tongue "Tch. Disgusting."

He lowered his eyelids slightly. "It's not her fault, though...Well, not fully."

He began picking up some of the discarded drawers and putting them back in the slots of the dresser.

After picking up all them, he picked up all the other items littering the room. He knelt and glanced around, noticing that his handkerchief wasn't here.

He shrugged it off. "Doesn't matter. I'll get it back tomorrow. Or not."

He stood back and walked out, to collect the cleaning supplies he had stashed away in his office not too long ago.

He walked back in the room, holding the bucket with cleaners and a few sponges contained inside. He wrapped a cloth over his head and covering his mouth.

He clicked his tongue again, looking at the puddle of blood.

It made him feel like he was going to throw up.

He frowned and set the bucket on the floor.

He knelt down and used a rag to sop up the puddle of blood. He crinkled his nose as the disgusting irony scent of blood hit him.

He turned his head away, once again feeling nauseous.

"Disgusting."

As he disdainfully cleaned the floor his nausea never left, making it a very uncomfortable affair.

When finally finished scrubbing the floor, he placed the items that had littered the floor back into the dresser.

He stepped back and looked at everything, seeing it was clean. He was satisfied with his work, and turned to leave, but bumped into someone first.

* * *

Jean sat by the bed, watching Bara's sleeping face as she stirred in bed slightly.

He gently held her hand like he had been doing so for about the last hour.

A small smile curled upon Bara's lips.

Jean smiled, glad to see her happy again.

Her eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Oh. Jean. Hi."

He smiled. "Hi."

"Can I, Can _you_ take me out of the infirmary?" She asked, sitting up slightly. "I don't have my crutches."

"Yes, of course," Jean said as he stood, and walked around the bed. "You'll need to be careful, though..." He took hold of her hand once again. "Your wounds aren't healed yet..."

Her eyes were half-lidded as she solemnly said; "Yeah, Again, I'm sorry for causing you and Levi so much trouble..."

Jean smiled slightly as he bent over, leaving a gentle kiss on her forehead. "It's okay, I said I forgive you."

Bara smiled weakly. "That doesn't give you permission to kiss me. Perv."

Jean smiled as he slowly helped her up. "I'm glad you're back to your old self."

"I didn't really think you cared about me like this..." She whispered as she hopped along holding onto Jean.

"Why would you think that?"

"Because...It just seems like you don't really like me..."

"Well, of course, I like you. That's why I put up with all your stupid jokes, and make some of my own."

Bara smiled. "I'm glad. Because that means I can mess with you more. And now I get to tease you about wanting to get a little something-something from this."

Jean chuckled. "How much longer are you going to portray as a pervert?"

"As long as you keep acting like a gentleman. It's not funny if you actually _are_ a perv."

Jean smiled. "Good to know I'll be known as a perv for the rest of my life."

Bara smiled at him. "You're a good friend."

"So are you."

They walked down the hall in comfortable silence, slowly reaching their shared quarter.

"Here we are," Jean mumbled.

"Yay~ I'm _so_ tired..." She said, stretching her arms out.

Jean turned into the doorway and bumped into someone.

"O-oops, excuse me." He said instinctively before he realized who it was.

"Levi-sama? What're you doing here?" Bara asked.

Levi stepped out of the doorway and gestured back to the room.

"~Oh~! You cleaned the room. Thank you!"

Levi smirked. "Mondainai."

Jean helped her into the room, gently laying her on the bed.

Levi turned and walked down the hall, not walking to his office.

"Y'know," Bara started. "That whole 'sharing the bed' offer is still on the theoretical table."

Jean smirked. "I'll still pass."

She shrugged. "Are you sure about that? The cot looks a little dirty."

He glanced down at his cot. His nose scrunched up slightly. "Yeah, It is..."

"You still have the offer..." Bara said.

Jean sighed. "Fine, I'll do it, just stop offering me."

Bara tilted her head slightly. "Why are you acting like that?"

Jean turned his head, looking away at the wall.

"Jean, why?"

He lowered his eyelids slightly, his cheeks growing slightly pink.

"Oh my gosh, you like me, don't you!?"

His eyes almost closed, his pink cheeks making him look adorable.

She jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Oh~! Jean, I'm sorry I teased you so much! I didn't realize..."

Jean seemed slightly surprised, but slowly brought up an arm around her.

He smiled. "You don't feel the same way, do you?"

Bara pulled away from him. "No, I'm sorry..."

He pulled her back into a hug. "I knew that. that's why I never told you."

"Jean, you're so sweet..." She snuggled her head into his neck. "What did I do to deserve a friend like you?"

"You were yourself," Jean said with a smile.

Bara pulled away from the hug and sat back down on the bed. "You can still sleep in the bed with me. Although it might be weird..."

Jean smiled at her. "I could if you want."

Bara smiled happily. "Y'know, for a while, especially after that time we sparred, I thought you hated me but did what I said because you were scared of me.

Jean chuckled lightly. "Well, I didn't hate you, nor was I scared of you. I made a lot of snarky remarks because pretty much everything else I would try to say before I _really_ got to know you, would come out as something stupid or embarrassing. And I did what you said, well because, I liked you, and a was just a little scared after we sparred."

Bara smiled. "You really are sweet."

Jean blushed slightly. "Th-thanks."

"Oh, Jean you're adorable!" She said, jumping up and hugging him again.

He chuckled. "I think this is probably the longest you've ever gone without a snide remark, trying to set a record?"

"What?" She asked, falling back onto the bed. "You just told me something very personal, I wouldn't crack jokes about it! What, do you think I'm a monster?"

Jean chuckled. "No."

"Good."

 _KNOCK KNOCK_

Bara hummed as she looked at the door. "Who's that?" She asked.

"Don't know..." Jean mumbled, as he stood up and walked to the door.

He opened it slightly. "Sir?" He started, opening the door fully.

"Levi sa!" Bara said happily.

Levi smirked, as he walked into the room, holding a tray with food.

"I thought you'd be hungry, you haven't eaten breakfast or dinner. So I brought you some food."

"Arigato Sa!"

He set it on the dresser and turned to leave.

Before he could, Bara leapt off the bed, wrapping her arms around his neck. He froze, his ears turning slightly red.

"Thank you, thank you! Thank you for everything!"

"Uh, y-yeah, m-mondainai." Levi stuttered, removing her arms from his neck, and swiftly leaving.

Jean sat slightly confused as Levi closed the door.

"Oh, my, god. Did Levi just stutter?"

Bara shrugged. "Dunno. Gimme that food I'm frickin' **STARVING**!"

"Okay," Jean mumbled as he walked to the dresser, picking up the tray of food.

"Here." he said turning and handed her the tray.

" **KWAAA!** Thanks!"

Jean smiled. "You're welcome."

He sat down on the cot, leaning against the bed.

He smiled. He thought she was surprisingly happy considering what'd just happened no more than a few hours ago.

He looked out the window. There was a very dark sky, speckled with stars, barely enough light in the room.

"Are you tired yet?" Jean asked.

Bara shrugged while stuffing more food into her mouth. "Dunno. Maybe."

"That is not possible."

"Whaddya mean?"

"I mean it's impossible for you not to know whether or not you're tired."

She shrugged again. "Yeah, I guess. I'm a little tired."

Jean laid down on the cot. "Goodnight..." He mumbled, not even caring about sleeping in his uniform. He was too tired to bother changing.

"Night." She said, tossing the now empty tray to the corner of the room and falling back onto the bed.

* * *

Levi walked down the hallway, adjusting his cravat slightly from when Bara jumped on him.

He turned the corner and walked the long corridor to the big oak door and entered his office. He sighed tiredly. He was emotionally and physically exhausted from this stressful day.

He went to the head of his desk and sat on the large oak chair. He slid a stack of papers toward him, cursing under his breath. "God dang it Hange, you and your stupid projects..."

He rested his heavy head in his hand and grabbed a pen.

He scratched quickly and sloppily onto the paper. For some reason, he couldn't help but notice how sloppy his handwriting was. He frowned. _'Why do I care? I shouldn't. I **don't**.'_ He told himself, as he continued writing.

Even after telling himself that it didn't matter, he just couldn't help but shake the thought that he wasn't writing right. _'Really? I'm not **writing** right?' _Asked himself, now frustrated with his inability to focus.

He sighed as he knitted his brow, and threw the pen down at the paper. "Nevermind. I'll do it in the morning." He said, placing his hands on the desk either side of the paper and pushing himself flinched at the loud screech from the heavy chair scraping across the ground as he stood. He walked to his bedroom and practically collapsed into bed, not bothering to close the door or take off his clothes. His face fell into the pillow and he groaned as his thumping head bounced on the bed. He had obtained a headache from all the stress. However, that didn't hinder his sleeping, and he slept rather easily. He smiled contentedly as it felt almost as if his body melted into the bed, and he drifted into a trance like sleep. For once, he slept the sleep of the dead. Dreamless.

* * *

Bara's eyes snapped open. She could hear quiet crickets chirping outside, and the song of a bird. Her internal clock usually woke her up when the sun rose, which was when other animals woke up, and by the sounds of it, her internal clock succeeded once again. She rolled her head to her right and looked down at Jean. He'd fallen asleep on top of his covers, still dressed in his uniform, and straps, even his boots. She smiled. He looked so peaceful in his sleep. She felt just slightly creepy for watching Jean sleep, but only just _slightly_. His left arm was draped loosely over his abdomen, and his right arm laid next to his head.

Jeans eyes fluttered open, almost as if he felt her staring in his sleep. He looked over at her dreamily, only half-awake. "Hi. Feeling better?" He asked, stretching his arms above him. Bara smiled. "Yes. I feel a lot better."

Jean smiled, closing his eyes. "Ah. Good."

"Jean?"

He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Yeah?"

"Can you take me to see my horse?"

He hummed. "Yeah."

Bara smiled and rolled her head to look up at the ceiling. "...Actually." She started, and Jean looked at her. "Can you take me to Levi-sama's office first?"

"Oh, yeah."

She smiled again. "Thanks."

"No problem."

* * *

Jean helped her out of bed, slinging her arm over his shoulder. She couldn't use her crutches because her wrists were injured, so he was going to help her around for now. He helped her hobble along to Levi's office. When he knocked on the door, Levi walked over and opened as he was expecting, it was Bara and Jean.

 _I hope she's doing better._

Was the first thought that went through his mind.

He stepped aside, allowing them in. "So, Why are you here?"

Jean led Bara into the office and helped her sit. "I just wanted to formally thank you, Levi sa," Bara said.

Levi nodded slightly, as he crossed the office to the other side of the desk, and sat down in his large chair.

"Just, I-, I'm sorry, for all the trouble I-"

"No, I already told you, it's fine." Levi interrupted.

Bara looked down at her hands folded in her lap.

"Y-yes, b-but...I cause so much-"

Levi put his hand down on the desk and said; "STOP IT. Stop blaming yourself for this."

She flinches as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I-I just..."

Jean walked over and knelt down in front of her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Bara? Are you okay?" He asked gently.

She swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat, and looked up, more tears joining the previous ones. She looked into Levi's intense gaze and said; "Thank you." Almost angrily, continuing with; "If it wasn't for you...I'd be dead." She swallowed hard again, never breaking eye contact with Levi. "I owe you my life two times over now."

Levi's eyes widened just slightly, his gaze softening. He was surprised at her bluntness toward the subject. He hadn't _really_ thought of it that way. Bara stood up, pushing herself up on Jean's shoulder. Jean stood too, and she began trying to walk toward the door, but Jean grabbed her wrist keeping her there.

Levi stood. "Wait-" He started, not wanting her to leave yet.

Jean and Bara looked at him quizzically. Jean turned back to Bara and whispered; "Stay here for a minute, I'll be back."

Bara looked at him askingly. "Why?"

"Just stay here. I'm just going to get something. It'll be easier for you to stay."

"Okay..." She whispered, walking past him, and sitting back in the chair, wiping another tear from her cheek.

"It'll only take a minute," Jean said just before leaving.

Bara sat up straight, no longer crying, looking at Levi. "What." She asked sternly.

Levi flinched at the sudden sternness in her tone. "Look," He started quietly. "I...I guess I never thought of it...the way you put it..." He said quietly, almost so quiet Bara couldn't hear.

Bara stared at him, her face as stern as her tone, as she said; "And?"

Under any other circumstance, Levi would not tolerate this behavior. But he allowed due to circumstance. He swallowed before quietly saying; "I want to apologize. I was rude."

Bara's gaze never changed. "Good to know."

Levi bit his lip slightly, she very clearly wasn't accepting his apology. Not like that was much of one. It is really hard for Levi to actually say ' _I'm sorry'_ which makes it all the more meaningful. He bit the inside of his cheek as his eyebrows creased. Bara stared off unamused at his attempt of an apology. She wouldn't actually accept his apology unless he sincerely said he was sorry. Levi swallowed hard as he said; "I-I'm...I'm sorry."

Levi swallowed hard as he said; "I-I'm...I'm sorry."

Bara's eyes widened slightly. She didn't _actually_ expect him to say he was sorry. "...What...?..." She almost couldn't believe what she'd heard.

"I'm sorry..." Levi said again. "I was rude to your attempts at thanking me."

Bara smiled weakly. "Levi. Have you ever said you're sorry to anyone else?"

"Not many people," Levi whispered, looking down at his desk.

"Well, I hope you've said you're sorry to the one's you've lost. I know I have," Bara said as she stood, leaning her weight against the chair.

Levi's eyes widened, his eyes burning.

Bara walked to the door, and opened it, stumbling into the hall, and seeing Jean coming around a corner.

Levi's eyes squinted his lips and nose crinkling.

Bara walked over to Jean, who was pushing a wheelchair toward her.

"Jean! Thanks!"

Levi's hands squeezed his knees, his hair falling in his eyes.

"No problem," Jean said, smiling.

Bara plopped into the wheelchair and wheeled herself down the hallway. When Jean didn't follow behind her, she turned and asked; "Jean? What're you waiting for?"

"Hang on," He started. "I need to return something." He said, standing in front of Levi's office.

Levi struggled to fight back tears, a fight he lost. Tears trickled down his cheeks, landing on the desk.

His door opened, with Jean standing in the doorway. "Hey, sir I-"

Levi looked up, tears still falling.

Jean flinched and stopped talking. "S-sir? Are you okay?" He asked, walking into the office, and up to the desk.

Levi's lip quivered just slightly as he shook his head just barely. Just enough to be noticed. Jean pulled some fabric from his pocket, Levi's handkerchief, and handed it to Levi.

He stared at it for a moment before he grabbed it, wiping away tears.

Jean felt that he should leave, and joined Bara in the hallway.

"What were you doing?" She asked, looking up at him as he pushed her wheelchair outside.

"Just...returning something."


	14. Aftershocks

**(AN) Hi, guys! Sorry this update took so long! This is going to be my first chapter with a beta reader! I hope it improves the quality! :) Please leave your thoughts and comments in a review! I love reading them! ;D**

* * *

Jean wheeled Bara out of the castle, and to the courtyard. She smiled, enjoying the cool, brisk wind brushing gently against her face. She brushed some of her auburn hair behind her ears. It was strange to her, enjoying a breeze that usually felt so indifferent. Savoring the sun that is the same one she saw yesterday. Enjoying the thought of seeing her horse, even though she usually was very passive about seeing her, and wouldn't usually see her, even if she had nothing to do.

Jean finished pushing the wheelchair to the stables, as Bara continued to ponder over these thoughts. She hadn't even noticed that they'd arrived at the stables until Jean snapped her out of her trance with a; "Hey! Bara!"

She blinked in surprise slightly, looking up to him, behind her wheelchair. She hummed questioningly. "What?"

He gestured in front of her, beckoning her to look back down and in front of her.

"Oh, we're here." She mumbled to herself, slightly embarrassed at being so unattentive.

"Were you daydreaming?" Jean asked playfully.

Bara thought for a moment. "Maybe..."

Jean smiled and shrugged. "Ah, well, we're here, so, you want to see her?" He asked, extending a hand to help her up.

She nodded slightly saying; "Yeah." and took his hand.

He pulled her up and helped her over to her horse's stable.

She called her name. " _Uma~_!"

The piercingly white horse turned its head upward, looking at her, and feeling completely indifferent about her presence, and being utterly uninterested, turned her head back to the straw she was eating before.

"Uma?" She asked, slightly worried that it seemed the horse didn't recognize her.

Jean opened the gate if the stable, allowing her a good look at her legs. "She's been in a bad mood. The vets say she'll be healed in a few weeks, and until then, she can't go out to graze with the others, and she has to be on light or no duty. So, she'll be like this until then."

Bara frowned slightly, concerned that her horse wasn't happy. Though, neither was she. She gently extended her hand, softly petting the mane of her horse.

"You and me both have got it rough, eh?" She said in a calm, loving tone.

Uma snorted through her nose, showing her slight amount of annoyance, but through deeply ingrained teaching, did nothing about the annoyance that was Bara's hand on her back. Bara removed her hand of her own will and closed the door of the stable. She and Jean walked back to the wheelchair.

She sat down and looked up to Jean, saying; "Can we go to the mess? I'm hungry."

Jean smiled slightly. "Sure thing."

* * *

Levi's hand gripped the edge of the desk almost painfully hard, as he stared daggers at the paperwork lying on his desk. Hange is the one who brought all this paperwork, wanting another expedition to find a better place to perform experiments.

'What _more_ does that four-eyed idiot want?' Levi thought as he furrowed his eyebrows.

"She already does _plenty_ enough experiments. And that's being generous by not saying she doesn't do _too_ many." He said through gritted teeth.

To get this expedition approved, he'd need to fill out a lot of paperwork about who would be going on the expedition, how much supplies they'd need to take, how long they'd have to do it when they'd do it, and much more. However, he wasn't the only one suffering. Mike was also forced to do his own paperwork. And no doubt Hange has to do some too.

'But it's her expedition, she should be the one to have to do all this.' He thought, as he finally released the anger fueled death grip on his desk. He stood up, taking a deep, calming breath. "I'll do these asinine things later..." He mumbled, walking out the door.

Levi strode quickly down the hall with his short legs. He grumbled to himself, annoyed with all the recent paperwork, but he pushed that frustrating thought away, and walked into the mess hall, seeing that everyone except Bara and Jean were there.

'Good...' He thought to himself, as he walked to one specific table, eliciting stares. " _Oi._ Brats." He said, placing his hands on the table.

Everyone looked up from their food, startled, as Levi spoke, saying; "You're friends with Tetsu, yes?" Barely a question.

Everyone stayed still, and stiff, until Mikasa spoke up, saying; "Yes. We are acquainted with her." Levi removed his hands from the table, and said; "Okay, then you'll want to know, that last night she attempted...to..." He cleared his throat, almost struggling to say it. He sighed, his eyelids falling down slightly. "She attempted to commit suicide."

He heard the tink of metal hitting the table and a few gasps.

"Wha-...R-really...?" Eren asked worriedly.

"Yes," Levi said stoically.

"I-is she okay?" Krista asked from the back of the table.

"She does have injuries. But she is alive." Levi responded simply.

"Where is she?" Sasha asked.

"She's currently with Kirschtein. I don't know where they are, though."

"Oh..." Connie murmured.

"But just, act normal. And **_DON'T, MENTION IT_** ," Levi said sternly.

Everyone, save Mikasa, looked at Levi thoroughly confused, as he turned and left. Levi grumbled to himself as he left the mess hall. 'Why am I even going to bother doing all of Hange's work...' He thought to himself.

* * *

Jean and Bara came through the doorway of the mess hall, noticing the melancholy air. Jean wheeled her to their regular table.

"Guys? Something wrong?" Bara asked innocently.

Sasha strained not to look at her, and keep eating, while the others avoided eye-contact, save for Mikasa, who said; "No. Everything's fine, why?"

Bara shrugged. "You guys seem to be acting weird." She tried to keep the worry out of her voice, but she could hear it.

"I'll get us some food," Jean said as he walked away, to get the trays of food.

"Thanks, Jean!" She called back to him.

Everyone sat awkwardly, their posture staid. "Guys, why are you like this?" Again, the worry showing in her tone.

Connie opened his mouth to say something, but Mikasa intervened, saying; "Sasha and Connie said they're breaking up and no one wanted to say anything," Mikasa's eyebrows twitched slightly as she said this.

Bara grimaced. "Mikasa. I know when you're lying to me. You may have a poker-face, but that doesn't fix how well I know you. When you lie, your eyebrows twitch."  
Mikasa's mouth formed a thin line, and she brought her hands up to cover her eyebrows. "Sorry..." She mumbled, looking down solemnly.

Bara glared at everyone else at the table. "Now, I suggest that you tell me, right now, why you're all acting this way because my patience will **NOT** hold up."

Connie flinched as Bara's hand smashed on the table.

Bara's eyes flicked down to her wrist, and she realized something. She hid her hands back under the table again.

'No,' She thought. 'they can't know, can they?' She didn't want them to know. Even if she'd just attempted suicide, it'd make her feel better if her friends treated her the same. It didn't make sense how they could know. She knew it was impossible for Jean to have told them, and she knew she definitely didn't tell them, so who could've...

suddenly the realization hit her like a truck. Besides the nurses at the infirmary, there was only one other person that knew...

Bara growled quietly and angrily and quickly turned her wheelchair around, facing the exit, and pushed herself out, growling and muttering curses.

The whole group (once again, save Mikasa,) was staring in awe and confusion as she left.

Jean walked back holding two trays with food, and while setting them on the table, said; "Where's Bara?"

Everyone stared at him just as confused as they stared at Bara. Not a one of them answered him.

Jean tilted his head slightly in confusion. "What?"

* * *

Bara angrily wheeled herself down the hallway, toward Levi's office. She muttered curses and swears under her breath as she reached the door. She was too angry to knock, so she kicked, landing her foot flat against the front of the door three consecutive times.

She heard Levi stand and walk across the room. He opened the door, the same bored expression sprawled across his features.

"Yes?" He asked with a bored tone.

She seethed, narrowing her eyes at him. "Why did you tell them!?" She yelled.

Levi raised his eyebrows. He was slightly taken aback by her tone. She is the only one who has enough gall to speak to him that way, and oddly...he allows it...

She growled again, seeing he wasn't responding. She kicked his shin, shouting; "Move your short-ass out of the way!"

Levi's face remained unchanged as he looked down, where her foot connected with his shin. 'That hurt...' He thought, though stepping back, and out of the way.

She wheeled herself in, glaring at him all the way.

Why was he tolerating this?

She glared at him, waiting, as he walked across the small room, to his desk, and sat at his large oak chair.

Her nose crinkled in anger, her knuckles turning white from the grip on her wheelchairs arms. "Well?" She asked angrily.

"Oi, brats can't act normal..." Levi mumbled.

"Why did you tell them!? I didn't give you permission to tell them!"

Levi raised an eyebrow in curiosity. " _You_ didn't give _me_ permission?"

She growled. "It's _my_ fricking personal life. I have the right to choose whether or not that information is disclosed," She said, just under a yell.

Levi smirked, though he was just using it to mask his frustration. "You know, I should've already slapped you across the room by now."

She was really starting to get angry now. "Why!? Because I think it was completely unnecessary and irresponsible to tell people that I tried to kill myself? Because I think it could hinder their ability? Because I think you had _no right_ to do that?"

Levi's eyes widened in surprise. He had absolutely nothing to say, and she was truly fed up. She smashed her hands on the desk, actually making it bounce, and a few items fall off. " _ **WHY. DID. YOU. TELL. THEM.**_ " She asked again, annunciating every word with another slam of her hands.

She stared at him like no cadet without a death wish would ever dare stare at him. She held anger in her eyes, directed only to him. This was the angriest she'd ever been in a while, and she wanted him to answer her already.

She bared her teeth, saying; "Are you going to answer me? Or am I going to have to sit in this office _all **fricking**_ day before you open your god damned mouth."

Now Levi was really surprised. Man, she had some nerve, and yet, he still tolerated it.

He swallowed hard, turning his head away, and saying; "I have no answer."

She threw the nearest thing she could grab at him; a pen holder. It bounced off his chest and landed on his lap. He turned his head back to her, and she expected him to glare, or look angry, but he looked surprised, confused.

"Listen here," She said, pushing her hands onto the desk. "I know, for a **solid fact** , that you are lying to me right now. So, if you feel like telling the truth, please Levi, any day now. Because I know you enough, to know that you do not do anything without a proper reason. So I want you to tell me that **god damned** reason before I flip this fricking desk and smash your head through it!" She said, with another slam of her hands.

Levi knew it was an empty threat, she'd never do that, but the tone of which her voice held, it was almost scary. Mostly because he had never heard a cadet speak to him this way. You are never to speak to your superiors this way, so at the moment, she was being as disrespectful as you could ever be. But he still tolerated it.

Levi sighed. "If I tell you, will you stop smashing holes into my desk?"

She looked down at the desk, where her hands had been, and saw that there was actually a dent in the wood. She looked back up at him, glaring.

"Yes," She snarled.

He sighed, running his hands through his hair. "I told them because I was worried about you."

Bara scoffed before he could finish, cutting him off with; "What right does that give you?"

He narrowed his eye at her. " _None_." He said through gritted teeth.

He exhaled, calming himself again, before saying; "I just wanted them to know so that they wouldn't say anything to possibly throw you into an emotional breakdown."

She understood where he was coming from, but was too angry to just forgive him, so she yelled back with; "I could've told them if I wanted to! I don't need **YOU** to tell people things for me!"

Levi winced at the way she exaggerated 'you' like she was saying she didn't need him in any way.

"Look, I'm sorry. I crossed a line, I shouldn't have done that, can you just calm down?"

" **NO**." She yelled, slamming her hands down again. Levi flinched at how hard she brought them down.

'Great...' Levi thought. 'I was right about her being emotionally unstable...'

He brought his hands up, saying; " _Please,_ stop. Calm down." and standing up just slightly.

Her gaze softened the tiniest bit at his use of please, and sorry. She'd just realized how childish her little tantrum was, and how tolerating Levi was being, but she was still far too angry to let this go.

" _Levi_ , are you _truly_ sorry, or are you just saying that to get me to calm down."

Levi looked her directly in the eyes, saying very sincerely; "I mean it. I stepped out of line."

Bara grimaced, and knitted her brows together in anger. She could tell that he definitely meant it, but she was just far too angry to be satisfied. So, she turned herself around, to face the door.

Turning her head over her shoulder lightly, she said; "Levi, maybe I'll forgive you some other time. But right now, you've gotten me too angry." With that, she left.

Levi sat in utter awe. He didn't expect her to be this upset about it... "She has _some_ nerve..." He mumbled.

* * *

"Are you **FRICKING** kidding me!?" Jean yelled in disbelief.

Connie put his hands up in innocence. "It-it wasn't our fault! He just came in and told us! We didn't ask him anything!"

Jean laid his head on the table, and asked; "Where is she?"

"She stormed out angrily earlier," Mikasa deadpanned.

Jean lifted his head to look at her. "I'm guessing not, but did she say where she was going?"

Mikasa shook her head.

"Of _course,_ " Jean growled. Standing, he said; "If she comes back, just act _fricking_ normal, okay? She doesn't need this from you." Jean turned and left after that, leaving everyone confused.

He walked down the hallway, to Levi's office. He knocked on the door three times with the side of his fist.

"...Who is it," Levi said tiredly.

"Jean," He said, putting his hand on the knob.

"...Come in..."

Jean twisted the knob and pushed the door open. He had expected Levi to look...normal...but that wasn't what he saw.

Levi had his head hanging down, with his left hand rubbing his temples, his right hand next to his left elbow on his desk. He looked up, his face looking broken and tired.

Jean paused a moment. He turned around, checking outside the door, before closing it. He turned back around and walked toward the desk, sitting on the chair much smaller than Levi's.

Jean leant back in the chair, crossing his arms over his chest, saying; "Bara was already here, wasn't she."

Levi didn't say anything, but let his head slump down again, staring solemnly at his desk.

Jean sighed, leaning his head back over the edge of the chair. "Was she mad?"

Levi looked up, frowning. "Any word you can think of for 'mad' is an _understatement_."

Jean hummed slightly. "I'll take that as a _'yes'_ ," He said, leaning his head back down. "When did she come here?"

"Just a minute ago." As Levi spoke, his voice sounded quiet, and far away.

"Where did she go?" He asked.

Levi looked up, his eyes widening just slightly. "She's not with you?"

Jean gulped just slightly, realizing that it was his job to watch Bara. "No."

Levi sighed, his shoulders slumping forward as he moved his weight onto his forearms. His head hung low, his bangs covering his eyes. "Don't worry about her..." He said quietly. " _I'll_ find her."

He stood up, and walked past his desk, toward the door. He opened the door, and paused, to say; "Keep track of her next time, _please_."

Jean stood after Levi left. "Yeah. O-okay..."

* * *

Uma ate her straw slowly, paying no attention to Bara who sat just feet away. Bara sighed. "Damn it Levi...You've ruined this day that I thought was going to be nice...well...It _was_..."

"Sorry."

She jumped, and turned around, to see Levi standing in the doorway of the barn. She frowned, glaring at him. She twisted her body back around so that she faced Uma again. "I _don't_ want to talk to you, _Levi_." She said irritably.

"I'm just here to _apologize_ ," He started, walking toward her. "And, you _are_ supposed to be supervised at _all_ times."

She growled slightly, as he stepped up toward her. " _Why_? You think I'm going to try and _kill myself_ again?"

He swallowed hard, looking at her solemnly. "I'm _worried_ about yo-"

"Go worry about someone who needs it! I'm fine on my own!" Her voice cracked slightly as she yelled at him. "Go worry about someone who still trusts you. Go worry about someone who still holds their respect for you. Because y'know what? Respect is earned, and from what I can remember, you never even earned the trust you lost from me."

Levi stood shocked, completely taken aback by her outburst. He truly felt...hurt. Did she really not trust him? Did she really not respect him?

Before he could get anything out, she turned, wheeling herself away, toward the doorway. "Come bother me when you have something important to say. If not, leave me alone."

Levi almost couldn't fathom what just happened. Now she was really disrespectful, but that was why, because she'd lost her trust and respect in him. Respect that he had valued. Apparently not enough...

* * *

Jean stood in the hall, not knowing where to go. Levi had told him not to worry about her for now, and that he would find her, but he couldn't shake the worry twisting in his gut as he stood by the door of their room. He sighed as he thought about what he should do.

Should he look for Bara himself? That would be going against what Levi told him. Should he just forget about? That was never going to happen, though. Should he wait here for Bara? That question was answered for him when he heard rolling across the floor.

He turned his head, seeing Bara rolling up to him.

"Hi." She said, annoyed and curt.

She rolled by him, going toward the mess hall. The mess hall was already relatively empty. He assumed that their food would be cold by now, but he'd lost his appetite. His train of thought was cut off by a loud smash, and an unintelligible yell.

He ran down the hallway to the mess, seeing Bara sitting in the middle of the room, practically seething with anger, having just thrown one of the trays of food on the floor. She turned herself around and wheeled past Jean, who stood in the doorway bewildered.

She grimaced at him, but said nothing, as she passed him, and went down the hallway, and into their room.

* * *

Bara tried her hardest to contain the rage filled scream that wanted to escape her lungs. Unable to keep the scream from surfacing, she threw her head into the soft plush pillow on her bed, allowing her yells to be muffled by it.

She was just so angry that she couldn't contain herself, and now she was taking out all her frustrations on her belongings, and her vocal chords. She was screaming at her pillow like she wanted to scream at Levi. Throwing things on the ground like she wanted to throw at Levi. Punching the bed like she wanted to punch Levi right in his pale, soft, perfect, handsome face.

She threw her head up, panting in anger, her hair sticking to her face with sweat. "W-wait..." She panted, realizing the thought that just graced her mind. Her hands flew up to cover her mouth and the gasp that entered it. She didn't...she didn't, like him...did she? No, there was no way, especially after everything that's happened...right?

She let out another angry yell, throwing the pillow at the wall. Her throat was burning in pain, her face flushed red with anger, her lungs struggling to take in enough air to keep her alive. Suddenly, the body-wracking screams, turned into equally body-wracking sobs, as she collapsed on the bed, absolutely exhausted and drained of every emotion that was left to experience.

She just wanted to not exist.

She just wanted to fade away.

She just wanted to forgive Levi.

But somehow, she couldn't bring her mind to accept that.

* * *

Levi felt absolutely awful. He could hear Bara yelling from across the multiple halls, and that sound sent waves of pain through his body, emotional pain. He had told Jean to go to training, and he'd stay there, to be sure Bara would be okay. He knew they weren't actually going to be doing anything down there. If he didn't go down there and supervise them, or put someone trustworthy in charge of keeping them in line, they wouldn't actually do anything. Well, maybe Mikasa would...

He laid his head on the desk as the sounds echoed through his brain. He felt so horrible, he couldn't even muster words to think of how to apologize to her at this point, and he didn't know if he'd even be able to apologize and she actually accept it. With how upset she is, she may never accept his apology, no matter how sincere.

* * *

Everyone walked idly around the courtyard, not really doing anything, most people just talking, a few actually doing something, but those were sparse. Jean walked around, glancing at the lackadaisical cadets who were just standing out there because they had to, not because they actually planned on doing anything. Eren walked up to him from behind, tapping him on the shoulder, saying; "Hey, Jean. Aren't you worried about Bara?"

Jean turned around, saying; "Yes. I'm worried about her mental state."

" _No,_ " Eren started. "I mean, aren't you worried about her being alone?"

"She's _not_ alone. _Levi's_ there."

Eren raised his eyebrows slightly. " _Ah_ , so that's why he isn't here..." He mumbled.

Hange strode across the courtyard toward them, a devilish grin on her face.

"Aw _dammit_!" Eren groaned, unhappy with having to go with Hange again.

"C'mon _Eren_!" She yelled, grabbing his arm.

" **No**!" He yelled, pulling his arm back.

" _Eren_!" She whined. "Since the last time, I've gotten _really_ close!"

" **Close to what!?** " He asked annoyed.

"I'll explain on the way!" She said, giving him a strong tug toward the castle.

"You don't need to take more DNA, _do you_?" He asked worriedly.

" **No**!" She said as she began walking back to the castle with him. " _Maybe_!"

Eren groaned in dismay as he was towed along. " **WHY!?** "

" _For the good of humanity_!" Hange cheered.

" **RHETORICAL QUESTION.** "

Hange laughed as she pushed him further into the castle.

Jean was left standing there, staring, bored. He sighed, turning to the jumble of lazy cadets standing near the centre of the courtyard. "Hey, you guys may as well leave."

The cadets turned to look at him, shrugging, they decided to leave.

The cadets slowly drifte+d out, Jean staying in place. Once all the cadets left, he laid down on the soft grass, enjoying the slight bit of warmth from the sun peeking behind clouds. He wasn't sure how the rest of the day was going to play out, but he just hoped it'd be, relatively, calm.

* * *

Bara pushed her body up on weak limbs, her head pounding in pain. Her face felt hot, dry tears on her face. She brushed her hair back with her hand and glanced around the wreck she'd made of the room. She was disappointed in herself for being satisfied with the state of disarray the room was in. She was even worse, though. Dark lines under her eyes, wrinkled clothes, muddled hair, tired features. She stood on one weak leg, the other still on the bed, as she reached for her wheelchair that was a few feet away from her bed. She rolled it over and threw herself into it.

She wheeled out of the room, but before she could leave, she heard paper hit the floor behind her, by her door. She disregarded it and continued on her way toward the mess hall.

But, of course, the last person on earth that she wanted to see at this moment, turned the corner, as if told to by a higher power. She just **HAD** to cross paths with Levi again, didn't she? She couldn't just avoid him for the rest of the day, **no**. She **HAD** to see him again. Fricking fate pulling at the strings of her sanity.

He seemed slightly surprised to see her out, but the somewhat pained expression that covered his features told her all she needed to know about how he was feeling.

"Levi...I..." She started, not really knowing what to say.

Levi knelt down in front of her, now eye level with her. "Bara, are you _truly_ never going to forgive me?"

He'd just used her first name. "U-uh-uh..." She stuttered, not sure how to respond. Equal parts of her did and didn't want to forgive him. "I-I...y-yes..." She murmured, her voice small.

Levi leaned forward slightly, placing his hands on the wheelchair. "Because, I truly am sorry. The apologies I gave you were fully sincere."

She gulped down a lump that had formed in her throat. There was something, comforting, and uncomforting, about being this close to the captain, something that made her skin crawl and her heart flutter, something she couldn't put a pin in, but recognized...

"I...I'm fully aware of that...s-sa."

He leaned in slightly closer, asking; " ** _Do_ you** , forgive me?"

She felt strange with how close he was, his intoxicating scent filling the space between them. "U-uhm...I-I-"

Levi's eyelids lowered slightly, leaving his eyes half-lidded. ' _ **God**_ , that looks sexy...' She thought, chewing on her bottom lip, as her eyes glazed over his face. She shook the obscene thoughts from her mind and returned to the question on hand.

"Y-yes," She said, bringing up a hand and putting it on Levi's shoulder, gently pushing him back. He shifted his weight so that he was no longer leaning against her wheelchair.

"Good," Levi said, the tone laced with worry from earlier now dissolved into one of relief. He stood again, swiftly leaving, and walking back to his office.

Bara suddenly couldn't catch her breath, her stomach fluttering with a strange foreign feeling. She turned her head looking to the empty hallway where Levi had left. She had a strange...longing...feeling...

She shook it from her mind and continued on to the mess hall.

* * *

Levi walked down the halls quickly, jumping into his office, and closing the door behind him. His chest rose and fell in heavy breaths. His heartbeat was fast in his chest, a strange feeling bundling in his stomach. His eyes fluttered closed as he leant his head against the door, exhaling a long, relieved sigh.

* * *

 **~Fin~**

 ***Bows, bows.***

 **I think this chapter turned out good! And, I'd like to thank RoryThePotato for beta-reading!**

 **Thanks, Rory! You got this chapter done super fast, and I think you did an awesome job!**

 **Also, thank you guys for reading! Please leave a review!**


	15. Dirty girl

**(AN) Hi, guys! Back with a quick update thanks to RoryThePotato! She got this chapter done really fast.**

 **Thanks, Rory!**

 **WARNING; Lime. It's not a very graphic lime, and there isn't actually any reference to nudity, _but,_ lime.**

 **Anyhow, thank you guys for reading, and please leave a review.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin. I do however own my mind, heart, and soul. (Hasn't it been a while since I did this? [Please don't sue me])**

* * *

It had been a few days since Bara had her little, _'argument'_ , with Levi.

Because Levi was supposed to fill out all the paperwork Hange had given him, and he didn't, he would have to go to some stupid hour long meeting with Hange and Mike in the morning.

' _Great_...spending more than thirty seconds around that bombastic insanity we call a colleague.' He thought, checking the file's on his desk, realizing that he still had some uncatalogued files on the new recruits that'd be there soon. He glared at them as he stacked Hange's unfilled papers beside them.

" _Great..._ " He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

* * *

Bara sat on her back, staring at the ceiling. She couldn't shake the thought of that...fluttering feeling...when Levi was kneeling in front of her, his face the only thing she saw, his intoxicating scent completely surrounding her, his sincere voice, the feeling in her stomach after he left, all of it filled her mind to the brim, and she hadn't been able to get proper sleep ever since.

Eventually, after staring at the ceiling for hours on end, her eyelids felt heavy, her thoughts slowly swirling away as she drifted into anything but a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Bara and Levi walked down the hall, side by side, heading towards his office.

She felt his hand brush hers, sending a pleasant tingle up her spine. He glanced at her in the corner of his eye, smiling. He wrapped his hand around hers, entwining their fingers.

Bara jumped just slightly at the gesture, but smiled warmly, feeling his calloused, though soft, warm hand in her grasp. She leaned her body against his, relishing the warmth his body emitted.

He smirked, laying his head against hers.

They finally reached his office, and he pushed the door open, letting Bara in first, and he followed shortly after. She stood in the middle of the room, glancing around his office. Levi rid himself of his jacket, and lit a candle, providing some light to the dark room.

He crossed the room, walking back over to her, and grabbed her shoulders, gently pulling her down. He smirked at her passiveness as he placed a kiss on her nose. She smiled sheepishly and blushed. He wrapped his arm around her neck, keeping her body slightly hunched as it was, as he brought his lips to hers.

She smiled on to him, gripping his shirt and deepening the kiss. His firm hand massaged gentle circles into her shoulder. She dragged her hands up the back of his neck, where his undercut met his nape, scratching her nails into the fuzz. He shivered in response.

Her hands landed firmly on his shoulders, pushing off of them slightly. She pulled back from the kiss, panting, and red. Levi smirked at her disheveled face. She blushed harder as he stared at her. She brought her hand back up to his neck, dragging it up, and carding her fingers through his dark soft locks. He smiled, wrapping his slender hand around the back of her neck, and pulling her into another kiss.

Bara was slowly pushed to walk backward, as Levi ushered her. She easily compiled, carefully placing one foot behind the other, trying not to hit anything, as wonderful tingling sensations covered her entire body in faint numbness. Her back slammed against the door joining Levi's office and bedroom, causing her to jump and gasp. Levi took the open opportunity to make the kiss more...intimate.

She moaned as his tongue pushed into her mouth. She gripped his shirt tightly, pulling him up slightly. Levi smirked as he was forced to push himself up on his toes. Levi's hand reached to the door behind her, and he twisted the knob. The door flew open, and She would've fallen, if it wasn't for Levi's strong hand on her back. She moaned again as her hands wrapped themselves around Levi's neck and head. He lifted her with ease, her legs instinctively wrapping themselves around his waist. without ever breaking from the now very intense kiss, he carried her across the room, to the bed.

To her surprise, and dismay, he threw her onto the bed, swiftly ending their long-lived kiss, leaving a tingling crawling across her lips. Red and flushed, her lips swollen, he smirked. She blushed as he walked over to the door, placing his hand on it, and giving her one more look at his devious smirk before he slammed the door closed, all the dim light the room once harbored escaping with the loud echo of the door.

* * *

Bara's eyes snapped open, her breath feeling like it was caught in her throat, as the sound of slamming echoed through her head. "Ar-ara m-ma..." She whispered. She couldn't believe, did that really just happen!? Did she really just have a dream...about her...and...and...!?

"L-Levi!?" She whispered, her hands flying up to cover her mouth. 'Oh my god.' She thought. 'I'm never going to be able to look him in the eye again.' That thought was not long lived, as she heard a knock on her door.

"Wh-who is it...?" She asked, her voice shakier than she would've liked.

"Levi," A deadpan voice responded.

'Son of a-'

"C-come in."

He slowly opened the door and stepped in. Her embarrassment was almost overwhelming. She couldn't let it show, though, she had to avert her eyes, so she looked at the wall.

"You...you aren't still mad...are you?"

Bara turned back to him, realizing he was still very worried about whether she really did forgive him or not. She sat up and shook her head. "No. I'm not still mad." Levi smiled just slightly. "So," Bara started. "Did you want something?"

"Oh, right...well...sort of..." He mumbled. "I have some papers...that need to be filed...so...if you want...you can..." He said, slowly trailing off.

Bara tilted her head at him. 'If I want?' She asked inwardly. 'He's my Kyaputen, he can tell me to do something. So why is he just offering it to me as a choice?'

"Yeah, get her out of my hair," A groggy voice said, chuckling.

She peered around the edge of the bed, seeing Jean looking back up at her. She frowned and grabbed her pillow. "Why not get _yourself_ out of _my_ hair?" She said, throwing the pillow at him.

He swatted it away to the ground beside the cot, saying; "You could use something to do besides sitting around to mope."

She settled herself back into a sitting position, saying; "Yeah...I guess."

Levi's eyes flicked from Jean, back to Bara, as he said; "You can help if you want. I won't be there very much, though. I have a stupid meeting I have to go to with the most annoying woman in the world," His words regarding Hange were harsh, but his tone didn't match, it was lighter, slightly happier. About as happy as Levi's voice usually gets. (Which isn't very happy.)

"Okay, I'll help," Bara said with a smile. "I'll be there as soon as I get dressed!"

Levi smiled slightly. "All right," He said, turning, leaving.

Bara crawled across the bed, glaring down at Jean over the edge. "Cover your eyes with that pillow, _lover-boy_."

Jean shrugged and complied. "Whatever. Not like I want to see anything."

" _HA_." Bara faked laughter, before saying; "Yeah, like you don't want to see this hot stuff."

"Just change," Jean said annoyed.

She shrugged. "Whatev'... _Perv_."

* * *

Bara stepped out of the door, closing it softly behind her. She took a deep breath. She was slightly worried about this, for some reason. Maybe she was just embarrassed...about...her dream...Yeah...that must be it...

She walked down the hallway, feeling more and more nervous as she neared his office. She twiddled her thumbs in circles on the grips of her crutches, as she stared down at her feet.

She looked up, seeing that she had made it to Levi's office. The door was cracked open, and, not thinking to knock, she pushed open the door.

She peeked her head through, and asked; "Levi~? Can I come in~?" In a 'sing-song' voice.

He glanced up from the papers he was looking at on the desk. He cocked an eyebrow up, smirking, and asking; "Are you not already in?" while gesturing to the room with his hands.

She smiled and laughed slightly. "I'll...take that as a yes."

Levi grunted in response as he returned his focus to the papers on his desk.

She walked in, closing the door gently behind her. After the outburst of rage she went through a few days before, leaving her bedroom in shambles and making Jean clean it up, she didn't want to make any more noise than necessary.

She sat on the lone chair in front of Levi's desk, as he looked over his papers. He glanced up, seeing Bara's small form, sitting stiffly in the chair.

"What, do you have to take a shit?"

Bara jumped, and, blushing slightly, shook her head, saying; "N-no! I-I'm just...I wanted to apologize...for yesterday..."

Levi hummed. "It's fine." He mumbled absentmindedly looking at the papers through half-lidded eyes.

She shifted uncomfortably in the chair, as she asked; " _So_...you had something for me to do?"

He glanced up at her. "Yes," He started, placing the papers he had in his hands on the desk, and sliding them to her. "This. Some papers for the new recruits who are coming."

Bara nodded. "What's the meeting with loud-mouth about?"

Levi smirked at Bara's nickname for Hange. "Some expedition she wanted to do to find a better place to do more dangerous tests on Eren. She's been denied a lot of attempts at studying more of Eren's transformative abilities, so she wanted a place to do them where everyone else would be safe. Well...mostly everyone. I don't know how safe Eren would be.. _.but._..that's not important."

Bara hummed again, as she looked over the papers for herself. "Sounds like _barrels_ of fun."

" _Oh_ yeah," Levi said, sarcastically, rolling his eyes. He stretched his arms above his head, saying with a slightly strained voice; "I'm actually going to have to go soon." His hands laid back down onto the desk. "You'll be fine here on your own, right?"

She hummed, looking up at him as he stood. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

He nodded slightly, as he walked around the desk to the door. He opened it slightly, and opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself, instead just saying; "Bye," and leaving.

Bara smiled slightly until he left, her smile instantly dropping into a frown. She didn't like when he was gone...it was a strange...longing ...feeling...and she didn't like it.

She shook her head and looked down at the papers on the desk. "I'll just...do these..." She said, grabbing the papers and knocking them against the table, stacking them evenly. " _And_ , by the time I'm done, Levi should be back."

* * *

Bara sighed, leaning back in the chair. She looked down at the filed papers on the desk. She had expected it to take longer, but she was already done. She looked up at the clock above a bookshelf at the back right wall. She frowned with a huff. It's only been forty-five minutes.

She glanced around the room, wanting something to do. She felt a chill run through the entire room as she looked around. She looked over the bookshelf, seeing no books, but a few items, like teacups, what appeared to be knik-knaks, and, a rock?

She hoisted herself up, pushing off the desk. She grabbed her crutches that were leaning against the side, and walked to the shelf. She couldn't even really call it a bookshelf, when it held no books. She leaned her head toward the small, seemingly purple rock. She grabbed the rock, and examined it. It felt slightly cold in her hand. She looked at it, it was clear, and seemed to give a slight blue-ish purple tint to everything. She noticed it resembled glass or crystal, and it was very dense and hard, with sharp, jagged edges. She set it back down and turned to her right. She noticed the cracked open door of Levi's bedroom.

She stood in thought for just a moment, before hopping over, and gently placing the tips of her fingers on the front of the door, feeling the cool wood. She pushed it open just slightly. She glanced inside. There was a big, queen size bed in the centre. In the corner of the room, by the door, was a coat rack. Two, small, oak wood nightstands, sat next to the bed. To the right side of the room, was a door. Bara assumed that led to the bathroom. She pushed the door open a little more and stepped in.

She got a cold chill down her spine as she fully stepped into the room. She already felt bad about being in the room. She got another chill, her whole body shivering. 'Okay...' She thought. 'Maybe I'm just cold.' She rubbed her arms and looked at the coatrack. His green cloak was hanging on a hook. She smiled, touching the soft fabric. She pulled it gently off the coat rack, and brought it to her face, feeling the soft fabric against her cheek. She could smell the outstanding, recognizable scent that was the captains. She smiled again, nuzzling her nose into it slightly, and closing her eyes. She hummed contentedly, that relaxing scent filling her senses.

Suddenly, her eyes snapped open. She stumbled back, dropping the cloak to the ground. "Ara ma, Ara ma, Ara ma." She whispered, her eyes darting around the room. "I-I need to get out of here..." She whispered.

She picked up the cloak from the ground and dusted it off. She hung it on the coatrack, trying to mimic as closely as possible to the way it was hung before she disrupted it.  
She crutched back out of the room, leaving the door just barely open, as it was before she messed with it. She sat down at the head of the desk, sighing worriedly and leaning back, dropping her crutches against the desk.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it." She whispered under her breath as she placed her head in her hands. "I'm such an effing perv." She looked down, realizing that she was sitting in Levi's chair, but she didn't care all too much. She thought Levi wouldn't mind, so she didn't move. She looked around at the items on the desk, not finding anything of interest for her to do.

She let out a bored groan as she even looked under the desk. After thoroughly searching every nook and cranny, she fell back into the chair, letting out another annoyed groan.  
She bit her lip as she got an idea. Her eyes darted around at the drawers of the desk. None of them had any locks, so she'd easily be able to open them, but did she feel comfortable with it? The desk had four drawers, two on each side of the empty space for your legs. She shakily reached her hand to the topmost drawer on the right side. She laced her fingers around the handle of the drawer, rubbing her thumb over it. She chewed at the inside of her cheek, as she gently pulled open the drawer. It felt light as she pulled it out, feeling as though no paper was harbored inside, but something much lighter, weighing much less.

When she managed to see what the drawer held, her eyes widened, and she gasped quietly. The hand holding the handle of the drawer flew up to cover her mouth as she gasped almost in horror.

The drawer was practically toppled over with pieces of fabric, specifically holding the emblem; the wings of freedom.

She shakily reached out for one of them. She held it in her hands, worrying it with her thumbs. She noticed that there was a tiny red stain on it. She examined it closer, and to her horror, she realized, it was blood.

"That one was Oluo's."

Bara's eyes widened in horror, hearing footsteps approaching her. She dropped the small patch to the ground, her eyes flying up to meet the corporal standing just a foot away. She swallowed hard, studying his eyes and face, trying to decipher his current emotion, which she expected to be anger.

She saw that he didn't look angry, not at all. There was an emotion sprawled across his face, his features contorted into a strange expression, but she couldn't pin what it was.

"Wh-what?" She finally asked.

Levi bent down, picking up the dropped patch. He held it between his index finger and thumb, and held it out, showing it to her. " _This,_ was Oluo's."

Her eyes widened slightly as she reached for the small piece of fabric, gently taking it from Levi's hand. "I-I never knew..." She said quietly, gently stroking over the seams the wings with her thumb.

Levi looked down somberly at the drawer of full of patches, quietly saying; "Everyone..."

Bara tilted her head just slightly, quietly asking; "What?"

He looked back up at her, repeating; "Everyone. Everyone I've ever lost from my squad. Their patch is in here." He turned back down to look at the drawer, his knuckles turned white as he squeezed the edge of the desk.

Bara gently placed the emblem back into the drawer with the rest, and slowly closed the drawer. She stood in silence with her hands in front of her. She looked down at the ground as she mumbled an apology. "I-I'm sorry Sa...I shouldn't have been snooping..."

Levi gently grabbed her wrist, eliciting her gaze to rise. "L-Levi-sama?" she asked quietly. "What are y-" He tugged her arm forward, making her lose her balance, and fall forward just slightly into him. He wrapped his arms around her back and nuzzled his head into her hair.

"L-Levi-sama!" She gasped in surprise. "What are you do-"

"Sh." He 'shushed' her and tightened his arms around her. She shakily and carefully brought her arms to wrap around his neck, and straightened her back slightly, making Levi tilt his head up.

"S-so..." She started. "You're not mad?"

Levi didn't say anything but tightened his embrace around her, which she took as a ' _No I'm not mad_.'

She rested her head on top of his, enjoying the warmth of his body, and that ever intoxicating scent. She smiled as she felt Levi's grip around her. 'Why is he doing this?' She wondered. 'Not that I want him to stop...but...'

Just as suddenly as he'd pulled her into the hug, he reared his head back to look at her, his ears slightly red. He unraveled his arms from around her, and stepped back, stuttering out; "S-sorry... I-I...I shouldn't have...I-"

"It's fine."

He looked up at her, his ears red. He looked away again, saying; "Th-thanks for doing that paperwork...though..."

Bara gently placed her hand on his shoulder, eliciting his gaze to shift to her eyes. She smiled, and leaned down, planting a gentle kiss on his forehead. His eyes widened slightly as his cheeks grew red. She stood back up, smiling slightly.

"Bye," She whispered, before leaving the room.

Levi stared in shock at the door for a few moments, before saying; "B-bye."

* * *

 **(AN) Aww, this little scene between Bara and Levi is _so_ cute! :3 **

**I think this is starting to become my favorite scene to write. (Cute BaraxLevi scenes) But, sadly, I like writing the arguments between Bara and Levi too. I assume there will be more of those.**

 **Anyhow, I'd like to thank you once again for reading, and Rory, if you're reading, I apologize for your Padrino thinking you are psycho.**

 **Please leave a review! ❤**


	16. My friend

**(AN) Hey, guys! Back with another quick update thanks to Rory's speedy reading skills! :3 Thanks so much Rory, and, you did a great job on this chapter. Thanks so much, you're awesome! I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. After I release chapter 17, I'm going to take a slight break for a few weeks from Iron Roses to update some of my other stories like Look at me look at me and Tomorrows me. I'm sorry if anyone's been waiting a long time for the next chapter on either of those two stories, I've just been completely immersed in Iron Roses. But, I'll try to get back on those stories this next week. Thank you guys for being patient, and, again, I apologize for making you wait. _Buuuuut_ anyway, enough with the Authors notes! To the story!**

* * *

Bara sat on the window sill in her bedroom looking out on the scenery. It had been a few days since she snooped in Levi's office, and she kept replaying the whole scene in her head. Especially the part when she kissed him. Sure, it was only on his forehead, but she couldn't tell if he liked it or not. His face looked...shocked...and she couldn't tell if it was just because it surprised him...or if it was something else. He hugged her, so she thought that it probably wasn't that he didn't like it. Even so, he hasn't mentioned anything that happened that day, and she really hasn't even seen him all that much.

She sighed contentedly as a pleasant breeze blew through her auburn hair. The month had changed, and the weather was getting cooler as they neared winter. She looked down to the ground, seeing the dying grass. It made her feel...sad. Seeing the life being drained from all the once lush foliage. She looked back up to the sky. The early morning sun crawled high up the blue sky, being covered by a light mist of white clouds that would only serve to make the morning colder.

She sighed. She wished that she could talk to Levi about what happened, (Not that much happened...) but with him not talking about it, she felt it best to leave it alone, unless Levi confronted the subject. She chuckled to herself as she thought about it, maybe Levi is waiting for her to say something, while she's waiting for Levi to say something.

She felt another cool breeze muddle her hair. She smiled, she liked the feel and scent of the late autumn air. There were only two scents that she truly enjoyed.

She shook her head, physically shaking the thoughts of Levi from her mind. This is one thing she didn't like about her leg being broken. She had nothing to do, which gave her more time to spend with Levi, and when she wasn't around Levi, still with nothing to do, that would leave more time for her mind to wander, most likely back to Levi.

She sighed and leaned her head against the wall, closing her eyes. The silence and tranquility _was_ nice...

"Tetsu."

Her eyes popped back open. She turned her head to be greeted by Levi standing in her open doorway. She furrowed her brows, thinking; 'Did I leave the door open? I must have...I didn't hear him open it...'

"You left your door open." He started with.

'Ah, yup.'

"And Hange wanted you for...something..." He finished.

Bara tilted her head slightly. "What does she want?"

Levi thought for a moment. "You remember when she kept taking Eren in to do tests, or, rather, extract DNA, right?"

Bara nodded slightly, as he continued with; "Well, apparently, her research and work were fruitful, and she's made some sort of healing concoction."

Bara smiled slightly. "Really!?" She asked, jumping up off the sill, but almost completely forgetting about her incapacitated right leg, she almost fell, well, would've fallen, if it wasn't for something grabbing her.

She looked up, seeing that Levi had grabbed her waist, keeping her up. She blushed just slightly, embarrassed at the strange way he opted to keep her up. "Are you okay?" He asked, helping her steady herself.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, thanks," She said with a smile. Leaning back against the sill, she asked; "Can you give me my crutches?" and pointed to the spot on the wall where they were sitting.

Levi turned to look where she was pointing, humming. "Hm? Oh, yeah," He said, walking over to the wall.

She smiled brightly as he handed them to her. "Kansha!" She chirped as she took the crutches.

Levi smiled slightly. "Mondainai."

"So, let's go to Hange's lab, shall we?" She asked, crutching toward the door.

Levi nodded. "Yep,"

* * *

"Hange~!" Bara called as she hopped into the dimly lit room.

The brunette scientist who was peering over a test tube turned on her heels upon hearing her called name.

"Yes~?" She asked, but her question was answered by herself when she shouted; "Bara!" and ran over to hug her.

Bara reared back, looking like a cat in danger.

"Don't," Levi warned, leaving Hange just inches away from Bara with her arms fully outstretched.

"Awww! Why?!"

Levi crossed his arms as he said; "You'll run her over you beast."

Hange pouted and crossed her arms, saying; "But it was just a hug..."

There was a beat of silence between all of them, including Eren who was in the room for some reason, until Bara broke it with; "So? Hange? Did you have something for me...or...?"

"Oh right!" Hange said, her glasses flashing in the low light. She ran over to a counter with test tubes and all sorts of chemicals, and grabbed an orange-ish yellow one, and ran back over to her.

"Here ya are sweetie!" She said, pushing the vial into her.

"Oh," the less energetic brunette mumbled. "So, this will do...what?"

"Drink, drink!" Hange said, pushing the vile to her lips, and forcing the liquid down her throat.

After a fit of coughing and an attempt to breathe again, Bara asked through wheezes; "S-so that did what, exactly?"

Hange smiled an almost devilish smile, the light glaring off her glasses and blocking her eyes, as she chuckled. "That, my darling, was a little thing I call, 'Titan rejuvenation'."

"So It heals?"

Hange let out another chuckle. "Yes. By harboring the regenerative cells in Eren's titan DNA, I have created this super serum, that can heal any ailment."

"But, really? Titan rejuvenation?" Levi asked from the back of the room, behind Bara.

Hange shrugged, and while pointing to Eren, said; "It's better than his idea of 'titan juice'."

Levi's shoulders slumped forward, his head dropping slack. Bara's whole face turned red as she covered her mouth with her hands. Levi's shoulders began to shake with laughter as he was no longer able to contain it, nor could Bara.

They both erupted with laughter, almost dumbfounded at the fact that Eren would actually suggest 'Titan juice'.

Wiping tears from her eyes with one hand, and gripping her side with the other, Bara asked; "R-really Eren!? You really wanted to name it-!?" She busted out laughing again, not even able to finish her sentence.

Eren crossed his arms, and, putting on a pout, said; "It's not that funny..."

"It is!" Levi said from the back, leaning against a wall to keep his balance. That was the most he'd laughed in a while, and he found that to be hilarious. Eren really is different.

"W-well, anyway. When does it take affect?" Bara asked, returning the focus to the question at hand.

Hange adjusted her glasses, even though they appeared to be in a fine placement beforehand, and caused the dim torch-light to glare on her glasses again, blocking out her eyes. A wide grin crossed her face from ear to ear, as she chuckled. "Why, darling, it's already worked!"

Bara's eyes widened and she smiled brightly. "R-really!?"

Hange smiled. "See for yourself," She said with gleeful pride.

Bara gasped just slightly as she threw her arms up and yelled; "LEVI TAKE THIS THING OFF ME~!"

Hange stared at Levi who was still leaning against the doorway of the lab. He shrugged and walked toward them. Once reaching them, he grabbed a sharp object off the table by Hange; a knife. He knelt down and cut down the side of the cast, tearing through it and busting it off.  
Bara swung her leg back and forth, and stretched her toes, testing it out. She smiled brightly. "LEVI SA! MY LEG!"

Levi stood, asking; "How does it feel?"

She jumped around on the spot, squealing; "It's healed! It's healed! It's healed!"

Levi smirked. "I guess it feels fine?"

Bara nodded. "Yeah! It feels better than before!"

Eren walked up to them, finally leaving the one spot he sat at on the back wall. "This is what Hange's been sticking needles in me for."

Hange laughed loudly and smacked Eren's back, almost causing him to lose his balance. "Yep! This has got to be one of the best things I've gotten out of my research on ya sweetie!" She yelled, ruffling his hair.

"Ya see Levi? If I had a space to do bigger, more dangerous experiments...well...HAHA! I'd make so many new discoveries so many... huge..." She trailed off, her tone slowly getting devilish and creepy.

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. Once we figure out what cadets we're gonna get on it, where and when we're going, and what supplies we'll need, we'll go. I've told you this alrea-"

"Oh! I'll go!" Bara chimed in.

Levi stopped for a moment, groaning slightly. "You don't even know what the mission is."

She shrugged. "So? I still wanna help!"

Levi sighed. "Okay, I'll mark you down as one." This was actually very helpful for Levi, because he knew, based on her track record, that she was worth about five soldiers, and could easily take out multiple titans in mere moments, but he wouldn't mention this to her...

Bara jumped around on the spot again, saying; "Yay! Thank you!"

Levi sighed. "Yeah, well, I guess you can go back to training with the other cadets."

Bara stopped jumping, and looked at him, smiling. "Right! I'll finally be able to join the other cadets again!"

"Levi," Hange whispered, grabbing Levi's arm. 'Are you sure,' she mouthed, and tugged his arm to move him toward the doorway. "Hang on sweetie, we need to talk about the mission." Hange said with a fake smile.

Once outside the lab, the door securely shut, and she was sure Bara couldn't hear them, she asked; "Levi, are you sure?"

Levi tilted his head, asking; "What? Why would there be anything wrong?"

Hange thought a moment, before choosing her words carefully, and saying; "But, what about her... suicide attempt what about that?"

Levi sighed, saying; "I'll be keeping a close watch on her, so I know she won't impale herself on any swords. I don't think that will hinder her ability, in fact, getting back to training is absolutely the best thing for her. The sole reason she attempted to commit suicide was because when she loses purpose she falls into a deep depression."

Hange stood slack-jawed and wide-eyed. "Wh-wha..." She stuttered but didn't manage to get any more than that out before Levi walked by her, pushing the door open.

"Tetsu. We've got to get to training."

Bara turned around from where she was talking to Eren. "Oh! Right! Okay! Bye Eren!" She said, waving to Eren.

"Yeah, bye," Eren said with a smile.

Bara ran out the door Levi pushed open wider for her and was about to run right past him and Hange, but Hange stopped her.

"Hang on!" She said, grabbing her arm. "You may feel fine now, but this stuff has side-effects!"  
Bara paused. "Those are?" She asked.

"Well..." Hange started, looking upward, once again, the dim lighting glaring off her glasses and blocking out her eyes. "There's drowsiness and numbness. So, I wouldn't suggest training just yet. Maybe tomorrow, but for now, you should definitely rest."

Bara nodded. "Okay! By the way, thanks so much Hange!" She said, running up and hugging her.  
Hange laughed, saying; "Thank Eren! He's the one who gave all the DNA samples!"

"Against my will!" Eren shouted from the lab.

Bara giggled. "Thank you, Eren!"

"Anyways," Levi started, as Bara removed herself from the hug she had coiled with Hange. "I guess that means I should bring you back to your room, huh?"

Bara nodded. "Okay. Bye Hange! Bye Eren!" She said, waving, as she walked along with Levi. Eren and Hange waved slightly, Hange saying; "Rest up!"

Bara playfully hooked her arm around Levi's, as she hopped from one foot to the other, almost doing a dance as she walked. Levi smirked. "Happy?"

"Very!" She said, sticking out her bare foot, and watching her toes wiggle. "It feels really good to finally have that cast off, and move my foot!"

Levi smirked again. "That's good to know."

Bara looked up from her foot, to look at Levi. She smiled.

They made their way back to Bara's room, Bara never unhooking her arm from Levi's. Levi liked that feeling, and he couldn't tell why.

"Well, we're here," Levi said, unhooking her arm from his. He turned to leave, but Bara grabbing his shoulder made him stop.

"You're leaving?" She asked with a disappointed look on her face.

"Yes, why wouldn't I?"

Her arm fell back down to her side. She looked down to the floor, saying; "Never mind..."

"Do you want me to stay?" He asked, taking a step toward her.

She looked up, a slight blush creeping across her face. She nodded slightly.

Levi sighed softly. "Well, I don't really have anything to do..."

She gasped in delight as a bright look of joy covered her face. "Really?"

Levi smiled faintly. "Sure. I don't see why not."

Bara smiled warmly, and said through a yawn; "Thank youuuuu~."

She walked into her room, stumbling just slightly. "Are you okay?" Levi asked, slightly confused.  
She stood by the bed, rubbing her eyes. "Y-yeah I just think the side-effects are..." She yawned again, stretching her arms above her head. She plopped down onto the bed, saying; "I just feel tired."

Levi smiled slightly, saying; "Well then, you should get your rest." He turned to leave again, but was stopped by Bara saying; "Wait," He turned around to face her again, that same disappointed look covering her face. She looked down, a slight blush on her face, as she said; "Stay please..." her voice small.

Levi walked over to the bed. "Why do you want me to...?"

She turned her head back up, looking into his steely blue eyes with her watery brown ones. "Please, stay," She said, almost pleadingly. "I-I get scared when I'm alone." She looked back down, a tear rolling down her cheek.

Levi knelt down, gently placing a hand on her chin to lift her head. "Hey, that's fine," He said in a gentle, soothing voice.

He gently rubbed away the tear on her cheek with her thumb, saying again; "That's fine."

Her lips quivered into a smile as more tears gathered around the corners of her eyes. A small, almost inaudible sob escaped her lips, as she leaned her forehead forward into Levi's, not far away. He returned the gesture, gently pushing his head against hers. Bara wrapped her arms around his neck, crying slightly louder now. Levi leaned forward, surrounding her in a tight embrace. She nuzzled her head into Levi's neck, taking in his comforting scent.

She had stopped crying but didn't want this to end. Not yet. She wrapped her arms tight around Levi's neck and leaned her cheek against his neck.

Levi smiled. He enjoyed this, far more than he could express through fathomable words. He didn't want this to end. He just wanted to stay there. He just wanted to stay in that moment. He just wanted to stay with her...

He noticed that she had stopped crying, probably a lot longer than he had noticed. "Bara? Are you feeling any better?" He questioned, but gained no response.

He shifted backward slightly and ended up dragging Bara closer to the edge of the bed. Her arms that were still draped around his neck slipped forward so that now they were resting on his shoulders, fully extended behind him, with her face still buried in the space between his neck and shoulder.

"Bara? Are you-" He began to ask but stopped when he heard her slow, calm breathing. He smiled softly. She'd fallen asleep. He lifted her body up and laid her gently on the bed. He stepped back, and turned to leave, but stopped himself at the doorway. He remembered, she'd said that she got scared when she was alone. He decided against leaving, and that anything he had to do could wait until tomorrow. Besides, Mikasa was in charge of keeping everyone in line at training, and he could trust that she would live up to that position.

He walked back over to the bed, standing beside it. He smiled down at her peaceful sleeping face. He sat down on the cot by the bed and rested on his hands. 'This is probably the happiest I've ever been.' He thought as he got slightly more comfortable on the very uncomfortable cot. 'I just wish she knew that...'

* * *

Bara fell to the ground after her anchor dislodged from a tree. "Damn titans," She growled under her breath, as she stood, wiping the sweat dripping down her temple.

Her limbs felt heavy, her breath strained, her heartbeat erratic, her mind racing to form coherent thoughts. "Titans. Titans coming from every angle," She said, analyzing her situation as she removed the broken blades from their handles. "One on the right, two on the left."

Jean landed behind her, saying; "Bara! Are you okay?"

"Fine!" She yelled, unsheathing a new set of blades. "Jean! You take the one on the left! I'll take the two on the right!" She yelled, sending an anchor sturdily into a tree.

"What!? Bara wait!" Jean yelled as she shot off in the direction of the two titans.

"They all..." She started, shooting a wire right behind one of the titan's necks.

"Have such..." She continued, shooting a burst of gas to propel her toward her target.

"Interesting..." She sneered, bracing her arms to attack.

"FACES." She yelled, slashing the nape in one fell swoop.

She jumped off its shoulder as it fell, and shot a grapple into an eye of the other titan. It screeched as she swung herself over its head. "Hey now," She started. "Calm down, this will only hurt..."

She used a burst of gas to send herself flying into the nape. "A lot!" She yelled, slicing the nape.  
It's body fell to the ground, as she landed on a nearby tree branch. She panted, looking out at the forest. She heard a wire fly behind her and a short burst of gas. The following was Jean yelling; "ARE YOU INSANE!?"

She turned with a tired grimace, saying; "What? I can handle multiple titans, unlike you. Now, We need to remain vigilant, otherwise-"

"TITAN!" Jean yelled, running past Bara, and attacking a titan behind her.

"OTHERWISE WE WOULDN'T NOTICE THEM," She yelled back to him. she sighed, as she sat down on the branch, her whole body aching in pain. Her head throbbed, every part of her body screaming to stop moving. Everything wanted to shut down and go into a comatose sleep, but she couldn't allow that to happen.

She heard something and opened her eyes, only to be too late. She saw the face of a titan greeting her from mere feet away. Her heart practically stopped. It was a tall titan, too. It reached out, it's hand easily wrapping around her stunned figure.

She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. It crushed her in its hand, bringing her toward its gaping mouth. She could do nothing but stare in horror, as she was getting closer to death, she couldn't force a single noise from herself.

Suddenly, she heard slashing. The titan's grip on her loosened, but it still didn't drop her. Finally, she could get air into her lungs again, before she died. Another slash was heard from underneath of her, and it sent the titan falling to its knees, and it was about to fall on its face and take Bara with it.

A brown blur flew by, slashing the tendons of its arm, forcing it to drop her. Despite knowing that she needed to fall, her natural instinct kicked in, making her grab and claw weakly at the arm and hand of the titan, before she slipped out of its grasp.

As she fell to the ground, she saw another swift blur of brown fly by the nape, slashing it open. She hit the ground, hard and painful. She saw a figure land in front of her, that appeared to be glowing in the light, its back adorned with the wings of freedom. Its head turned to the side, revealing its face.

"Bara," It said, its voice sharp, and instantly recognizable. It turned its body fully and walked toward Bara as the nearby titan evaporated.

"Bara," It said again, though louder.

"Bara!" It yelled, now very near her.

She tried her hardest to force a response out of herself, but nothing came forth. She just sat there, staring at him, her mind a blank, her body in profuse pain. Him. Him. She stared at him.

"BARA!"

Her eyes snapped open to be greeted by Levi's face just inches from her own, his hands on her shoulders lifting her just slightly, his knees either side of her hips.

She panted heavily, she could feel the sweat dripping down her face, and her heart beating out of her chest.

"L-Levi." She breathed out, shakily grabbing his arm.

He sighed out a breath of relief, as he gently placed her back down on the bed, and sat back on her legs. "Are you okay? You were yelling in your sleep."

"You stayed," She whispered.

"Yes, I stayed. Are you okay?" Levi asked again.

"Why did you stay?" She asked, completely disregarding his question.

"Because you said you wanted me to stay, so I stayed. Now, are you okay?"

She smiled softly, as she nodded, saying; "Yes, thank you."

Levi smiled as he propped himself back up on his knees, and crawled over her legs, before hopping off the bed and landing on the cot.

"Levi," She started, propping herself up on her elbows. "Do you have anything you need to do?"

Levi leaned back on his hands, thinking. He hummed, then said; "Yeah, a little bit more paperwork on Hange's expedition."

Bara smiled, as she asked; "Can I help?"

Levi smiled softly as he hopped up, saying; "Of course."

* * *

 **(AN) I like this chapter, and the way it ended. Again, special shout out to my girl Rory. Also, please leave review! I'd love to see your feedback! Thank you! Also, I'm not sure if you guys noticed, but there was a little reference to the anime in there, in Bara's dream. It was the part where she was attacking titans, most notably the part where she mentions their interesting faces.**


	17. Professionalism

**(AN) Once again, Thank you Sis (RoryThePotato)! You've gotten all these chapters back to me really fast! Thanks so much for that! Also, I might not be updating this as often as in the past few days, because I'm going to try and update some of the other stories I've been slacking on. Anyhow, To the story! Please enjoy!**

* * *

"Of course," Levi said, extending his hand to help Bara up.

She smiled, and gleefully took his hand. "Okay!"

He pulled her up onto her feet and began walking toward the door. Only when he felt a tug of resistance on his arm, did he realize he was still holding her hand. He turned his head to see her standing there, still smiling at him. He let go of her hand as he turned away, a blush creeping across his cheeks. He walked out the door, Bara following just behind him.

Bara smiled as she walked right next to Levi, this making him feel both uncomfortable, and happy. Bara's smile grew wider, as he gently placed his hand on the small of her back, ushering her toward the open office door.

She walked in, practically bouncing with uncontainable energy. She hopped onto the sofa to the right side of the small office, as Levi walked in.

Levi smirked, saying; "Well, just make yourself right at home then." She giggled as she leant against the arm of the bright white sofa. "You're the one who invited me!"

Levi smirked again as he walked around the desk. "True," He started, dropping himself into the large oak chair at the head of the desk. "But, I didn't invite you to sit on my couch."

She mustered up a fake pout, before turning her nose up, and crossing her arms, looking away, saying; "Well, I can just leave then."

Levi sighed contentedly as he leant back in his chair, stretching his arms. He hummed as if in thought for a moment, before saying; "Nah. Sitting on the couch is fine. As long as you don't rip or stain it."

"Well," Bara started, bringing her index finger to her chin as if she was in deep thought. "I'm not a cat, nor an open wine bottle, so, I think we're fine on both those issues."

Levi smirked and let out a small chuckle through his nose. "Also," He started, pointing his quill pen at her. "Don't distract me. If I don't get this paperwork here done," He continued with, tapping his pen on the stack of papers on the desk. "I'll have to go to another meeting with four-eyes."

Bara gasped over dramatically, as she splayed out over the couch in the most dramatic, over-exaggerated pose you can think of. "Good heavens my dearie. Bless your soul!" She said with a terrible British accent.

Levi laughed lightly as she righted herself on the couch. After he stopped laughing, Levi contained himself again, and, regaining his composure, said; "Don't do that. I have work to do."

Bara sat back on the sofa, sighing. "Ah well...Okay." She said with a shrug.

* * *

Bara's head popped up from the space she'd been indenting with her neck. She rubbed the back of her neck, looking around confused.

Levi glanced at her from what he was writing, before smirking and saying; "You fell asleep a little while ago. Probably the side-effects again."

Bara nodded slightly, asking; "How long was I out?"

Levi shrugged. "Twenty minutes. Maybe thirty."

"Oh," Bara mumbled. She leaned forward slightly and stretched her stiff arms above her head. She breathed out a moan as she folded her arms on her head and arched her back.

"Why'd you let me sleep so loooong~?" She asked with a yawn.

Levi glanced at her, before returning his gaze to the papers on his desk, saying; "I thought it was best to let you have your sleep. You haven't been sleeping well, have you?"

Bara jumped in surprise slightly. 'How did he know that? Is it obvious? No one else has said anything. Did they just not notice? Or not care?' She asked herself, her brows furrowing in thought.

"What?" Levi asked as he studied her face.

Her brows raised again as her face lightened up. "Oh?" She asked confused, before realizing that Levi asked her something, and responded with; "O-oh, nothing. I-I just yeah I haven't been sleeping well but..."

"How did I know?" Levi finished for her.

She nodded, her curiosity just begging for him to tell her.

"Well," He started, dropping his quill pen and leaning back in his chair. "I haven't actually seen you much in these past few days, but, out of most of the days that I saw you, you were inside, sitting down, not doing anything. Now, I know your leg was broken, but, It still seemed unusual, seeing as you hated not having anything to do."

Her eyes widened subtly. She was slightly surprised for him remembering that little detail. He continued with; "Anyway, I thought it best not to disturb your sleep if you're getting so little of it."

Bara smiled sweetly as she said; "Thank you," the sweetest she's ever heard herself say it.

Levi's eyes widened slightly as he felt his heart swell. That made him feel so good, like a warmth spreading through him. Or, maybe that was heat spreading to his cheeks? Nonetheless, he smiled, saying; "Yeah."

Levi attempted to return to his work, though his thoughts continued to drift back to the image of that sweet smile.

Bara giggled as she looked down to her foot, eliciting Levi's gaze to fall on her once again. "What?" He asked curiously, though he loved the sound of her laughter.

She held her right foot up and wiggled her still bare toes. "I forgot to put on another boot!" She said through a giggle. Levi smiled and chuckled softly. "Oh well," He murmured, returning to his work.

Bara glanced around the room, wanting something to do. She had come here to help him, but all she ended up doing was sitting on the couch, acting like a royal fool, (No pun intended) giggling about random things, and distracting Levi from the work she was supposed to help him with.

She sighed quietly as her eyes glossed over Levi. She could've sworn his ears perked up slightly when she sighed, which beckoned her to stare at his face in interest.

Yes, it was only because she thought she saw something strange. Not at all because she wanted to marvel at his perfectly pale skin, or his beautifully chiseled face, nor his soft black locks that fell just slightly in front of his piercing gray eyes. Okay, that's exactly why she stared at him.

Her face grew slightly red as she stared at the crease between his eyebrows as he focused on something on the page. She stood from the sofa and walked over to the chair sitting in front of the desk. She leaned on her forearms to look at what he was writing. Something about supplies and shipment. Either that or fries and business. She wasn't very good at reading upside down.

Having noticed her staring, Levi looked up from the page his eyes were previously glued to, and stared at her, the crease between his eyes letting up just slightly.

She looked away quickly, her cheeks heating up and flushing red.

Levi smirked. "Staring?" He asked as he cocked up an eyebrow.

"S-sorry..." She mumbled, rubbing her arm nervously.

"Why were you staring?"

She hummed curiously as her gaze returned to him. "Why? What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I asked. Why?"

She looked down at the desk as she blushed slightly. She didn't want to say 'I was looking at your beautiful face' because she probably wouldn't have half the courage necessary to say that. So, instead, she leaned forward, saying; "I was staring at," She brought her hand up as she leaned closer. "This!" She finished, gently pushing her thumb into the crease already formed between Levi's eyebrows.

he raised his eyebrows and looked up. "What?" He asked, clearly unable to see what she had her finger on.

"That little crease between your eyebrows," She mumbled.

"Why were you staring at it?" Levi asked, clearly not bothered by her hand on his face.

Bara shrugged. "It's just a noticeable feature on your face," She said as she brought her hand back down.

Levi grabbed her by the wrist before she could set her hand down all the way. "Hey!" She whined, tugging slightly. Levi glared at her, and, she couldn't help but smile. Levi's lip twitched up as he struggled to maintain his glare. "Are your hands clean?" He asked as sternly as he could muster. Bara stifled back laughter, before smirking. "Maybe," she said with a giggle, before clarifying; "Yes, they are perfectly clean."

He let her hand go and she folded it in her lap with the other hand.  
"Why did you laugh?" Levi asked curiously.

Bara giggled slightly. "Because, I could tell it was a playful glare. And you are really bad at pretending to be mad."

Levi leant back in the chair, smirking. "Yeah, I guess."

"Plus," She started. "I noticed you smile. You can't hide the small details from me!" She said with a smile.

Levi leant forward putting his elbow on the desk and holding his chin in the palm of his hand. His eyelids drooped down as he looked at the paperwork that still remained on his desk, even after over half an hour of nonstop work on it.

"Are you getting tired? Sa?"

Man, for some reason, he was really starting to like being called that. "Yeah." He mumbled.

"I can do some of this for you if you want."

"Do so if you please," Levi said tiredly.

"Okay!" Bara chirped, slowly dragging the stack of papers away from him.

Levi sighed as he laid his head down on the desk. Bara giggled slightly upon seeing this. "What," He said into the desk. She giggled again.

"That's a funny way to sit."

"I'm not sitting," He started, still face down on the desk. "Well, not exactly." He lifted his head to look at her, as he said; "I'm awkwardly laying."

"Ah," she said, nodding her head. "Don't we have beds for not awkward laying?"

Levi made a noise that was a mixture of both a sigh and a groan, as he fell back in the chair, saying; "I don't want to have to bother."

Bara laughed softly, saying; "Fine, whatever. You can sit there and sleep if you want. I won't bother you nor write on your face. Maybe."

Levi smirked slightly and chuckled. "I'll kill you if you do that."

Bara made an over exaggerated gasp as she put her hand on her chest. "My heavens, how brash!" She said, in that terrible posh accent. She turned her nose up and looked away, putting the back of her hand on her forehead, and saying; "How rude!"

Levi chuckled softly, as he grabbed a pen, and held it as if it was a knife. "I'll stab you if you try."

She gasped again, very over exaggerated, and said; "I'll have you prosecuted!" Still with the posh accent.

Levi grunted as he brought his hand down, hitting the pen against her chest. She groaned loudly, and, again, over exaggerated. she fell back in the chair, her whole body going limp, as she cried out in non-existent pain.

"NOOO! I had so much to live for! So many things I wanted to do!" She yelled, holding her hand up as if she was reaching toward a light. "I-I see a light." She whispered, before making a bunch of exaggerated gagging and choking noises. Finally, she dropped her head slack and made one last quiet sigh groan noise, thing.

Levi's shoulders bounced at the kept in laughter as he stared at her twitching body. She let out more exaggerated moans and groans, throwing her hands up and twisting them as if she was in agony, before letting her limbs fall slack again, only to do it all over.

Levi was left smashing his fist on the desk in a fit of laughter, his head on the desk, wheezing to get in enough air. He pulled his head up, looking at her, a tear streamed down his face, as he struggled for air. "Ah, Aha! St-stop! I-I can't-Haha!" He struggled out, barely able to get out those stammered words.  
Bara sprung back up so she was sitting normally.

"W-well...anyway..." Levi said, standing. "I think I'll go actually use my bed."  
Bara smiled as she leant forward, placing her chin in her hand. "Okay."  
Levi walked over to his door, opening it slightly. But before going in, he said; "Thanks, for, making me laugh."

Bara smiled, saying; "Yeah, I had fun too."

"No, but I mean You're the only person who would try to make me laugh, and besides that, actually succeed."

She smiled again, saying; "Well, in that case, you're welcome."

Levi smiled slightly. "I had fun," He said, fully opening the door, and walking into the cold, empty, dull abode that was his bedroom. He allowed the door to fall closed behind him, the light escaping as it turned into a sliver across the wall. He sighed, He'd left the warm atmosphere for one that was cold and lifeless.

He sighed as he plopped down on the bed, and shed himself of his jacket. he set the jacket by him on the bed, sighing again.

Bara, in the other room, got up, and gently tread across the floor, the cold chill of the stone spreading through her bare foot. She gently placed her fingertips on the door and slowly pushed open the door.

Levi looked at her in slight confusion.

She smiled warmly, as she said; "Goodnight, Levi. I hope you sleep well."

His eyes widened in happy surprise. His heart beat seemed to skip, and his cheeks felt warm. He had to try his hardest to conceal a smile that wanted to engulf his face as he said; "Y-yeah, goodnight."

She smiled again as she slowly and softly closed the door with a quiet click.  
Levi let the giddy smile cover his face, as he fell back on the bed. The whole room now felt warm, and welcoming, comforting. She always knows how to make him feel happy. She always knows how to make him laugh. She always knows how to make a cold room feel warm. She always makes him want to see her again.

He sat back up with a newfound fervor, a newfound want to see her. But, this thought had his mind reeling. 'Why?' He asked himself. He didn't understand how nor why she made him feel this way, but he wanted to.

He stood up, bringing his jacket with him, and brought it over to the coat rack. As he draped the jacket over the hook of the coat rack, a sudden realization hit him like a truck, almost making his knees buckle.

He held onto the coat rack, as he whispered; "Oh my god, I love her."  
He smiled like an eight-year-old in a candy shop as he jumped back onto his bed, practically rolling, no, literally rolling around.

He giggled like a child as he landed on his back, repeating again; "I love her."

* * *

 **(AN) Aww! Levi's so cute when he's in love! I hope I wans't too OOC on this scene. It's hard, trying to represent a character in a scene that they have never been in and probably never will be while maintaining their personality. Well, I hope I did well! I hope you enjoyed as well! Please leave a review! ❤**


	18. Working overtime, Part 1

**(AN) Part one of a two-part lime. This part isn't as bad as the next one, though. Read at your own risk!**

* * *

Bara's head popped up, dried slobber on her cheek. She wiped it off roughly with the palm of her hand, squinting her eyes in the low light.

She hummed, confused. "Huh? Where am I?" She mumbled, standing from the chair she was sitting in.

There was too little lighting for her to see where she was, so she had to rely on her hands, to feel her way around. She squinted her eyes as her hands gently patted the walls. She frowned as she felt nothing but a clear wall, no furniture, not even the usual texture of the walls in the quarters. Honestly, where was she?

She continued walking forward, slowly. Her foot bumped a small table. She didn't feel to see what was on the table, but she heard glass rattling against glass.

She felt around, her hands hovering not far above the table. She felt that the wall joined with another in that particular area, forming a corner.

'Okay', She said to herself. 'Just tread lightly and you'll find your way out.' Her foot bumped against the small table again, before scolding herself with; 'WITHOUT BREAKING ANYTHING!'

Finally, her hand ghosted across what was recognizably a door.

"Ah," she whispered, as she found the knob. "Here we are!"

She swung the door open still holding the knob in her hand. The window in this room was open, and that was the first thing her eyes fell onto. The open window on the right side of the room. Her eyes slowly moved to the left, tracing over a small table, that had... teacups? Until her eyes fell upon the centrepiece of the room. A large queen-size bed with a blanket practically thrown aside and a small figure barely wrapped in the sheets.

Her whole face turned red as her hand unconsciously tightened around the knob.

"Oh. My. God," She whispered, completely mortified.

* * *

Jean sat on his cot, staring up at the ceiling. He looked over to Bara's empty bed beside him, wondering why she wasn't in it. Nothing had happened to her... right?

He rolled over. His mind kept reeling in worry, and he couldn't shake those thoughts.  
The open window behind him poured light into the poorly-lit room, providing him just enough light to see with. He sighed, wondering what she'd even be doing for all this time because he hadn't seen her all day. He frowned as he buried his head in his pillow, pulling the sheets up to his cheek.

His eyelids felt heavy, as they drooped closed. He let out a slight sigh, a mixture of worry and content evident in his voice. He nuzzled his head further into the pillow, the quiet screeches of crickets lulling him off to sleep...

* * *

Bara gasped in shock as the realization of what she'd just stumbled upon dawned on her.

'Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod,' reeled through her mind numerous times as her face flushed a bright crimson red.

In the centre of the bed, sat the raven-haired beauty who was always lingering in her mind. Sheets sprawled around them, only barely covering below the waist, usually pristine hair thrown into disarray, limbs sprawled out as if they were carelessly tossed aside.

Levi's hand gripped the sheets as he made a strange noise.

Everything seemed to be crumbling around her, and it all seemed to stem from Levi.

His usually pale complexion was red and flustered.

His usually calm breathing was ragged and labored, coming out in small pants.

He made small noises, groans. He gripped the sheets harder in his fists, arching his back. He made another groaning noise, except this time it was louder, but came out through gritted teeth.

Bara didn't think her face could get redder at that point. Until he moaned. A soft, sweet, sultry sound, unlike anything Bara's ever heard from him.

Her eyes went wide as Levi shivered, and began to say something. He whispered it, very quietly, huskily.

"I-I... Ngh..."

Her entire body was frozen, body glued to the one spot where she stood, her grip on the doorknob steadily tightening.

"Oh... please..." He whimpered.

She didn't think she could take this anymore. It was mortifying. Though, it'd be worse for Levi than her if he found out about her being there.

"I-I-... B-Ba!"

Levi started to say something but was cut off by a gasp from himself.

He gripped the sheets tightly as he let out another low groan through gritted teeth. He arched his back lifting his shoulders just slightly off the bed as he whispered huskily; "Ba-Bara!"

Bara's eyes went wider than she thought possible, her entire body radiating an embarrassed glow. She accidentally gasped, loudly. But, she immediately covered her mouth with her hands and prayed to all the gods that existed that Levi didn't hear.  
Levi's eyes fluttered open, his heart still pounding fast, his breath still heavy, his vision blurred. He seemed to look at her under long lashes, but closed his eyes again, and seemingly falling back asleep.

Bara let out a long, muffled, relieved sigh, as she gently and carefully closed the door. She flinched slightly when it began to creak, but closed it with a quiet click.

Her eyes had adjusted enough to see in the little-to-none lighting, so she could finally see. She rested her back against the wall beside the bedroom door.

She was panting, her heart beating in her ears, her face as red as a tomato.

She walked over to the exiting door, treading lightly, and closed the door as gently as possible.

After all that gentleness, she practically sprinted down the hallway to get to her shared quarters. The strange clacking pitter-patter of her bare foot and boot hitting the ground echoed out among the halls, she only dimly hoped that the other cadets wouldn't hear her, however, that thought was pushed to the back of her mind. As the only thing that mattered at the moment was getting back to her quarters, and hope that this was all just a dream.

She threw open the door to her quarters, expecting Jean to be asleep, well, he probably was. When she opened the door, he turned to look at her, surprised. "Bara!?" He whispered. "What the hell are you doing back in here so late!? And why are you slamming the door!?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Bara growled, though still blushing, as she threw off her boot and pulled off her shirt.

"And what happened to your leg!?"

"I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!"


	19. Working overtime, Part 2

**(AN) Part two of a two-part lime. This one is worse than the last. Read at your own risk!**

* * *

Levi walked down the hall, standing next to Bara. He opened his office room door, allowing Bara and himself inside. He held out his hand for her, a gentle smile on his face.

She smiled at his courtesy, and graciously accepted the offer of his hand as she entered the door.

She spun herself around and plopped into Levi's large chair sat at the head of the desk.  
Levi smirked, as he leaned over the desk, placing his hands firmly on it, and pecked her on the lips.

Bara blushed slightly as she smiled and grabbed his cheeks, pulling him in for another kiss.

She wrapped her hands around his neck, tugging him further by his hair.

He groaned into her mouth as his hips dug into the desk.

She smiled onto him, digging her nails into the back of his neck like claws. He bit his lip as he let out a small groan, and arched his neck back.

She took advantage of this new space, leaving butterfly kisses from his lips to his cheek, over to his ear, before stopping to nibble on his earlobe.

He jerked his head to the side, letting out a groan through gritted teeth.

She then moved from his ear, across his jawline, ghosting her lips across, until she got to his neck, his oh so sensitive neck.

He flinched at first as she kissed along the sensitive flesh, gripping her shoulders as he was forced to lean forward more, his hips grinding harder into the desk.

At first, she left very gentle, soft kisses along his perfect, pale neck. This gentle kissing and sucking sent shivers down his spine. Until that gentleness ended abruptly with a bite.

He threw his head back again, moaning. He gripped Bara's shoulders to keep himself steady.

She wrapped her arms around his chest, pulling him forward.

He almost lost his balance, but this only served to shove his hips harder and more painfully into the desk.

He made a noise that resembled one of pain and pleasure, as Bara sealed their lips once more.

Bara's tongue invaded his mouth, however, you can't really call it an invasion when Levi willingly accepted it and enjoyed it. He moaned and groaned into her mouth, trying to say something, but failing to do so.

He gently pushed her away, a string of saliva connecting them.

His lips were slightly parted, and red, as red as his cheeks. Panting, He said; "I-I...-"  
She leaned forward again, clamping her teeth gently against his neck. He squeezed his hands around her shoulders.

"Ngh!"

Bara kissed back up his neck until landing back on his lips. She bit down on his bottom lip, eliciting another noise of pleasure.

"Ah!..." He moaned.

She unbuttoned his shirt, slowly working her way down. She slid the shirt, along with the 3DMG straps, off his body, and onto the ground.

"P-please..." He whispered huskily in her ear.

She grabbed him by the shoulders, pulling him further toward her.

"Please, what?" She whispered in a sultry tone.

He opened his mouth to speak, only managing to get out; "I-I-" before being cut off by Bara's lips on his own.

He moaned out, saying into her mouth; "B-Ba-!" but being cut off, once again, by Bara taking his open mouth as an invitation to shove her tongue down his throat.

He moaned out again, his head being pulled back by Bara's hand in his hair.

Her mouth left his once again, and he whimpered in displeasure. "Please what?" she asked again, teasing him with licks across his neck.

"Please," He whispered, barely audible. "Ba-Bara," He mumbled, his breath hitching in his throat. "I... w-want..."

Bara pulled his head by his hair, jerking his neck to the side as she nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck. "Please, what?" She asked again. "What do you want?"

"I-I want... y-you..." Levi whispered in her ear.

Bara chuckled softly with a smirk.

"That's good enough for me," She said, sealing her lips over his once more.


	20. Sutāraito (Starlight)

**[AN] Hello! 20 chapters! Wow, I'm proud of that! :3 Thank you for reading up to this point, and please leave a review of your thoughts! Enjoy!**

* * *

Levi sat up in bed, his hair matted and sticking to his face with sweat. He let out a light pant, feeling a heaviness in his chest. He felt his heart beating fast in its cage, and the memories of his dream flashed through his mind.

He sighed, pulling the covers off his legs. He felt the cold chill of the air starting to get to him. He hopped off the bed and walked toward his armoire at the right side of the room.

He quickly dressed, before walking out of the room.

As he walked by the desk, he glanced at the papers. He had to take another sidelong glance at it as he had already passed the desk, and was about to leave. _Surely, they can't be done... can they?_ He thought, looking at the papers.

 _Oh, good lord._ He thought, looking at the mounds of paperwork that Bara had finished the night before. _She must've spent all night on this!_

He sighed contentedly, setting down a paper he was examining.

 _She would be a perfect assistant_. He thought, picking up the papers and knocking them against the desk to even them, as he had messed up the neat stack.

"Wait," He said aloud, placing the papers on the desk. He thought for a moment, before saying to himself; "Could I make her my adjutant?"

* * *

Bara stared at the ceiling, as she had been for the past few hours. She didn't know exactly how long, but She hadn't been able to sleep since she saw Levi... Eh... Y'know...

She sighed, bringing up a tired arm to rub her temples.

She felt a headache blooming as the sun rose.

She rolled over, looking over the edge of the bed at Jean on his cot.

"Hi..." He mumbled tiredly.

"How long have you been awake?" She questioned curiously.

He glared up at her, saying; "You, little miss huffy pants, have kept me awake since you came in with all your god damned rolling."

Bara frowned.

"Now," He started, sitting up. "If you'd like to tell me what the hell you were up so late for, and how in gods name your leg is healed, talk away."

She frowned again and sat up as well. She sighed, saying; "Hange gave me some sort of serum that healed me."

Jean looked bewildered for a moment, before asking; "What? How?"

"It was made from Eren's titan juice."

Jean cocked his head to the side. "Eren's what?"

Bara chuckled. "Nevermind. Eren's titan DNA."

 _"Okay..."_ Jean said, beckoning her to continue.

"Yeah, well, that's why my leg's okay."

Jean frowned. "Okay... _now_... why were you out so late? I thought you were dead you ass."

Bara frowned back. "If you want me to talk, don't call me an ass."

Jean huffed and crossed his arms. "Alright, fine. Sorry. Now, please continue."

"Okay..." Bara mumbled. "I fell asleep in Levi Sa's office."

"Why the hell did you fall asleep there!?"

"Let me finish!" Bara scolded.

Jean held up his hands, saying; "Alright, alright. Continue," and gesturing to continue with his hands.

"Well... I was doing some paperwork with him... And then he went to bed... And then I kind of fell asleep because I had this stupid idea to finish all the rest of the paperwork, and, trust me, there was a lot. I finished all of it, but... I..." She paused, stopping herself from saying what she was about to. "I... Fell asleep... Then woke up, probably a few hours later... And when I came in here, I couldn't fall back asleep... Sorry, I kept you up."

Jean waved his hands. "It's fine. I was just being a jackass."

Bara nodded. "You're always being a jackass."

"So're you!" Jean yelled back, throwing his pillow at her, which she easily deflected.

"Ha! Nice try dipweed!" She yelled, hopping off the bed.

Jean growled. "The hell does that even mean!?" He yelled, also jumping out of bed (cot), to try to grab at Bara.

He swung his hand at her, missing completely as she ducked under it.

"Gotta try harder than that!"

Jean growled again, leaping toward her.

"AGH!" She screamed as he tackled her to the floor. "PERV!"

Jean smirked. "I win," He whispered, inches away from her.

"Why you little jacka-"

Jean smacked his forehead into hers, making her yelp in pain.

"God damn it! What the hell!?"

Jean's smirk grew wider, as he pushed himself up. He offered her a hand, to help her up as well.

"Thanks..." She mumbled.

"You're welcome..." Jean mumbled back, mimicking her exact tone of voice.

Bara slapped his arm. "Shut it lover-boy," She said as she walked toward her dresser.

Jean chuckled. "Sure freak show."

She turned around and stuck her tongue out at him.

He reached out and grabbed her tongue.

"AH! AH!" She yelled, rearing her head back.

He smirked and let go.

She frowned, furrowing her brows, yelling; "Gross! You perv!"

Jean shrugged. "I don't know how that makes me a perv... But..."

Bara leapt toward him, almost throwing him off his balance, and shoving her hands in his mouth.

"Ey! Ey! Ey!" Jean yelled, grabbing her by the wrists.

She made an annoying noise as she regained proper footing. When Jean let go of her wrists, the bandages she still wore unraveled slightly.

She pulled her sleeping shirt over her head, tossing it into the hamper.

Jean had already gotten used to this, and no longer felt as uncomfortable as the first time. She still had a small T-shirt on, but it was more the circumstance at the time that made him uncomfortable.

Bara grabbed the bottom of her Tee, taking a deep breath. She pulled that above her head as well, leaving her top completely exposed, though she had her back turned to him. She almost would've rathered facing him.

Jean gasped. "Ba-Bara... Are... Your back..." He whispered, seeing the numerous scars that littered her back.

She turned her head over her shoulder, looking at him sidelong.

"How... How did these...?"

Bara's eyes turned sad, as she whispered; "Please... Don't ask," and tears welled at the corner of her scrunched eyes.

Jean nodded slightly, understanding it was a painful subject.

She righted her head, facing forward again. She grabbed her sports bra and slipped it over her head. She turned to fully face Jean, seeing that he looked at her with worry.

She smiled warmly. "So, you aren't as much of a perv as I let you on to be..." She whispered.

"Yeah, I care about you. Bara, what happened to you?"

"Those are from a long time ago..." She whispered, shaking her head.

"I don't care when the hell those are from, what happened to you?" He questioned again, wanting an answer this time.

She looked down. "It... It happened a long time ago... And... I'd rather not reflect back on it... Back then was a very painful, hard time..."

Jean sighed. "Okay, you don't have to."

Bara looked away from the ground to the wall.

"Bara," Jean said.

She continued to look at the wall, her eyelids drooping slightly.

"Bara, look at me."

She clamped her eyes shut for a moment, squeezing back the tears, before opening them again, refusing to look at him.

"Bara!" He said, stepping right in front of her. He grabbed her chin and pulled her head to look at him.

"Bara, listen."

Tears welled in her eyes as she looked him in the eyes.

"Bara, if you ever need physical, or emotional support, you know that me, Levi, Eren, Mikasa, and everyone else are here for you, you know that, right?"

She nodded slightly, her eyes now locked on his chest, no longer able to look him in the eye.

"Well then stop all this self-pity!"

Her eyes snapped back up to his face in surprise.

"We can help you, so let us! Stop rejecting us when we try to support you in a time of need. It doesn't make you weak to accept help, it makes you smart."

When he finished, she gently closed her eyes, the tears that were once only just enough to wet her eyelashes, now dripping freely down her cheek.

"Hey," He started, gently wiping away the tear with his thumb. "Don't cry, please."

She nodded, wiping the rest of the tears herself. "Thank you, Jean. Really. I was so mean to you at first, and yet, you were still... Mostly... Nice... And... Even when I refused it, you tried to help me. Thank you, Jean. I'm truly grateful."

He smiled. "Of course. This perv cares more than you thought, don't they!"

Bara smiled weakly. "Yeah..."

* * *

Levi sighed as he walked down the hall, toward Hange's office. He walked up to the door and knocked on it with his foot.

She opened the door, squealing; "Ooh! Levi! Levi! I-"

"NO." He said sternly, shoving the papers into her arms.

She fumbled with it at first, before grabbing a proper hold of the papers. She whined, loud and annoying, as Levi grimaced at her, and slammed the door in her face.

He heard her whine again as he walked away.

"Tch. Pain in the neck..." Levi grumbled.

He walked his way back to his office. Once reaching it, he slowly creaked the door open. He moved his foot forward to step, but stopped it midway, hearing something down the hallway. Footsteps?

He turned his head, to see Bara walking toward him, Jean not far behind. He smiled slightly, though he inwardly thanked the gods that she was talking with Jean and not looking at him at that moment.

He hid the smile with his normal, mechanical, impassive face. He stood by the door as the two approached.

He waved slightly, saying; "Good morning, Tetsu, Kirschtein."

Jean "ooh'ed", bumping Bara with his elbow. "You in trouble?" He asked with too much of an upward inflection.

Levi scoffed and rolled his eyes. Loosely crossing his arms over his chest, he said; "No. Don't be a stupid child."

"Aww..." Jean whined. "Wanted to see her get whupped..."

Bara smacked him in the back of the head as he walked by, saying; "Keep that up and you'll be seein' yourself gettin' whupped!"

He rubbed the back of his head, whining, as he continued on to the mess.

Bara smiled and giggled. "Fool," She murmured.

She began to continue walking, but unconsciously stopped, before hearing; "Tetsu," from Levi.

She hummed, turning her head to look at him quizzically.

He gestured to his office, that impassive expression still being on his face making it actually seem like she was in trouble.

"Hi, what's up?" She asked spunky, practically skipping past him, and hopping into the chair.

Levi smiled for a moment, staring at the back of her head, before hiding that disdained expression upon hearing a creak of the chair as Bara's weight shifted. She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder.

His eyes trailed down her face, to her soft neck mostly covered by her jacket's collar, before sliding down her sleeved arms, to land on her soft, delicate hands folded in her lap. He had to take a step to his left to see her hands, as she was seated her back to him.

Bara's eyes glued to his nose bridge. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye, but she at least wanted to make it look like that was where she was looking. She began to find it strange, as Levi was standing there, she was sure he was staring at something on her, for some specific reason, but she has no clue as to why.

"Levi Sa?"

He was literally starting to think that is the most satisfying noise he can ever hear.

"Was there something you wanted me for?"

Levi was suddenly snapped from his staring, back into reality. He felt heat flush to his cheeks, as he became slightly embarrassed at the thought of having been caught staring.

He returned his slightly surprised face, to it's original, bored, stoic one.

He strode over to the table, saying in a light tone, as to not make her think he had her here for anything negative; "Yes, actually."

He sat on the large oak chair at the head of the desk. He placed his hand gently on the desk, saying; "How long did you stay here last night?"

He asked purely out of curiosity, but he must of come off as angry, or harsh, because she immediately jumped in surprise, and seemed... scared?

"Oh... Uhm..." She mumbled, twiddling her thumbs in front of her lap.

Levi grimaced, and crossed his arms, saying; "Don't act so squeamish."

She jumped in surprise again, her muscles stiffening. She sighed lightly, saying; "I... I spent almost all of the night here... I think it was after midnight when I left... There was a lot... Did I finish it all?"

Levi gaped in awe... Inwardly. "Y-yes... You finished all of them... You stayed until midnight?"

She nodded quickly, adding; "Then I went straight to bed." She lied and felt kinda bad about it, plus she sucks at lying, and felt her cheeks heat up.

Levi cleared his throat slightly, saying; "Arigato."

She smiled. "Mondai Nai."

Levi nodded slightly. He was about to say something but bit his tongue just before he opened his mouth.

Bara hopped up from her chair, a broad smile on her face.

Levi turned his head up slightly, asking; "What're you doing?" curiously.

She smiled brightly at him, answering; "I'm going to go to my first training in a while with the other cadets!"

Levi smiled slightly, standing. "Okay, let's go then."

* * *

Jean walked down the hall, walking through the doorway of the mess. He felt his stomach rumble, and let out an annoyed groan as he plopped down next to Armin, who he scared the living crap out of.

"J-Jean!" Armin peeped. "Y-you scared me!"

He looked terrified... Man, that kid is delicate...

"Sorry, Armin!" Jean apologized, throwing his arm around Armin's shoulders.

Armin jumped, peeping; "I-I-It's-s f-fine."

Jean hummed, asking; "Something wrong?"

"C-c-c-c-c-c... Co-col-c-c-" Armin continuously stuttered, to the point where it was physically painful to hear.

"He's cold," Mikasa said in her monotone voice.

Jean nodded, returning his arm to his side. "I feel warm," He mumbled.

"So, horse-face," Eren started, taking a break from shoveling food into his mouth.

Jean grimaced, saying; "WHAT."

"Where's Bara?"

Jean shrugged as he poked at his food.

"Dunno."

"Did y-you see wh-where she we-ent?" Armin stuttered, his teeth clacking together due to his shivering.

"She walked into Levi's office a couple minutes ago," Jean started, removing his jacket.

"Well, what was she doing there?" Mikasa questioned.

Jean shrugged again. "Dunno."

"Wh-wh-what are y-you d-doing!?" Armin asked in surprise, as a jacket was gently slung over his shoulders. He exhaled in bliss, feeling the warmth of the jacket encasing him.

Jean returned to eating, saying; "I'm not cold. Take it."

"Oh, aren't you two so cute?" Eren asked.

Mikasa smacked him in the side of his head with her right hand, saying; "Eren. Stop."

Eren groaned.

Grimacing, he stood, saying; "Mikasa, we should get out to the courtyard, right?"

"Right," Mikasa responded, nodding her head.

Eren offered her his hand, which she graciously took, and stood. They walked out of the mess, their hands still intertwined.

Jean stared slightly in awe. He bumped Armin's shoulder gently with his hand, he felt Armin jump as he asked; "Were they holding hands?"

Armin gasped. "Y-you scared me!"

Jean leaned back and groaned. "EVERYTHING SCARES YOU."

* * *

Bara practically skipped down the hall, all the way to the mess. She accidentally bumped into Eren just before she walked through the doorway to the mess hall.

"Oops, sorry," She said cheerfully.

Eren mumbled something as he walked away.

Bara continued walking at a slower pace now, whispering; "Wait... were they holding hands?"

She shrugged at her question, as she walked through the doorway of the mess.

She glanced over to the side of the room, seeing Jean sitting next to Armin. She looked around some more, and, not seeing Krista, Sasha or Connie, walked over to Jean and Armin.

"Hello, guys~!" Bara cheered.

The timid blond looked up and said with a cautious smile; "H-hi Bara. Where were you...?"

"Yeah, I was wondering that too," Jean said, scooting over and pushing more into Armin, as he patted the now more open space beside him.

Bara huffed out a breath of air as she dropped all her weight down on the bench.

"Levi Sa just wanted to thank me."

An 'ooh' rang out from the other side of the table, with two light thunking sounds.

Bara's head whipped around, being faced with the wry smile of Connie, being seated directly next to Sasha.

Bara's face contorted into a look of anger, as she said; "Who the hell just did that."

Sasha smiled playfully and pointed a finger at Connie's bald head.

"Hey!" He yelled, slapping her hand away.

"You little snot!" Bara yelled, shoving her thumb into his nose.

"OW OW OW!" He yelled, waving his hands around in front of his face.

He shook his head, shaking off her hand with it.

She laid her hand on the table, snickering.

Connie held his nose, mumbling; "Jerk..."

"Anyhow..." Bara said, wanting to explain what she'd just said. "Levi wanted to thank me because I worked really late on some papers last night."

"Ah," Jean started. "That's why you came to bed so late."

"Yeah," Bara said curtly. "Anyway, that's all that happened. So," She said with a flick of Connie's head. "Take your 'ooh's' and 'Ahh's' somewhere else."

"Aww..." He whined, his head slumping down.

Bara stretched her arms above her head, saying with a slight strain in her voice; "So, what're you guys doing?"

Jean shrugged, saying; "Nothing. We're about to go out to the courtyard for training. Why?"

"Because I want to go with you guys when you go out to train," Bara said with a smile.

"Right. I almost forgot!" Jean said.

"Hey! Yeah! That's awesome!" Connie cheered.

Bara leaned into Jean and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. She scuffed his hair, saying; "You'll have to deal with me again!"

Jean chuckled, saying; "Good. It's way too boring without you at training."

"Aww, Jean missed me," Bara joked.

Jean scoffed and threw her arm off his shoulders. He stood, asking; "I was gonna leave now. You want to come with?"

She looked up at him with a smile. "Yeah!"

She hopped up as well, happy and energetic, despite the lack of sleep from the previous night.

"Do you want to get any breakfast first?" Jean asked, but Bara was already out the doorway and running down the hall.

He sighed, as he turned to follow her.

"I'll take that, as a no..."

* * *

"BAARAAAAA~!"

"Ara ma!"

Bara ducked under swooping arms that attempted to pull her into an almost deathly tight hug.

The wildly energetic brunette stood above her, the bright light of the sun glinting over her glasses.

"Bara! How's your leg? Are you feeling any symptoms? Did it heal anything else? How do you feel?"

With every shouted question from the excited scientist, she threw out an arm trying to grab her, which Bara maneuvered away from.

"Hange! Calm down!" Bara scolded.

Hange whined loudly. "Just tell me!"

Bara crossed her arms over her chest, gripping; "I'll tell you when you calm down."

Hange whined again, her arms falling slack to her sides. She stared at Bara with a pout.

Bara stood in silence a moment.

"Please?" Hange asked.

Bara sighed, dropping her arms to her sides. "Fine," She mumbled. "I'm fine. My leg's fine. Yesterday I was tired, but now I'm fine."

"Really!?" Hange yelled, throwing her arms back up and running toward her.

"Ack!" Bara cowered slightly, as Hange ran toward, gripping her wrists in an insanely tight hold, looking at the bandaged joint.

"Are these still hurt?" She asked while roughly pulling her hands closer to her face for further inspection.

Bara sighed, saying; "I don't know. I didn't check..."

Hange smiled widely, pulling off the bandage.

"Oi, oi! Careful!" Bara yelled, feeling the rough tug of the bandage.

Hange gasped in delight, yelling; "It's healed! It's healed!"

Bara tugged her hands back, saying; "Alright, that's great. Bye Hange."

Hange whined again, though saying; "Bye..."

* * *

Bara was practically beaming with excitement, as she stood in line with her fellow cadets.

Jean stood next to her, as they all waited for Levi to exit the castle.

Bara began to feel an incessant itch that made her want to move, run, fight, use her 3DMG, do anything.

The only thing that would momentarily squelch this hunger was to bounce on the spot.

Her smile grew wider as she saw Levi's form emerge from the large door of the castle. She let out the tiniest squeal of excitement as she continued to bounce in place.

Levi stood in front of the cadets, announcing; "Today, we'll be practicing vertical maneuvering."

Bara jumped some more in excitement.

Levi's eyes scanned the other numerous cadets, before landing on Bara, emitting happiness. Levi suppressed a smile as he said; "You may begin."

Bara literally jumped for joy as she leapt toward Jean, yelling; "Yay! C'mon Jean!" and ran toward some trees suitable for vertical maneuver gear.

"Alright, alright. Coming," he said begrudgingly.

* * *

Bara cheered as she swung through the air, the familiar euphoric feeling of freedom washing over her senses.

"Bara! Wait for me!" Jean yelled, almost catching up to her, but just before he was in reach, Bara swung away.

He growled in annoyance.

She let out another gleeful cheer, as the wind whipped her auburn hair behind her, and stung her eyes.

It had been too long since she'd last used her 3DMG, and she'd almost forgotten the sense of freedom that comes with it. She let out a contented sigh, as she was about to pass a tree.

She felt a tight grip on her bicep, pulling her back into reality, and a tree.

She hit the branch hard as she was thrown down.

She groaned as she slowly opened her eyes, seeing Jean looming over her.

"Jean!? What the hell!?"

"Levi called for you over thirty minutes ago!" He yelled.

Bara's eyes widened slightly, as she stumbled to her feet. "Crap!"

* * *

"Crap, crap, crap, crap," Bara whispered as she ran down the hall, to Levi's office.

She knocked three times on the door. Once doing so, she heard a creak and footsteps.

She bit her lip as the doorknob twisted. She hoped Levi wouldn't be upset...

The door creaked open, and Levi stood in the doorway, the usual bored expression his face held.

"H-hi Levi Sa... S-sorry I got here so late..." She said, barely audible.

Levi's face lightened up, as he stepped out of the way, allowing Bara to walk in.

"I'm glad you came," He said as if he'd not heard what she said.

She smiled meekly, saying; "You wanted me for something?" as she sat in the chair facing his desk.

Levi nodded as he walked over. He sat at the large oak chair at the head of the desk, saying; "I'd like to propose to you an offer."

"An offer?" Bara asked, tilting her head.

"Yes," Levi affirmed, rustling through a drawer. "Ah..." He mumbled, having found what he was looking for, and pulled it out to the desk.

"Here," He said, sliding the form toward her.

"What's this?" She asked, looking at it and sliding it the rest of the way to her.

"It's a form you'll have to fill in... That is... If you..." He trailed off, looking down at the ground.

Bara read it over, then read it over again, and again, the smile on her face growing wider with every re-read.

Levi wasn't looking at her and became worried about the lack of response, and immediately thought it was because she wasn't happy.

"You... You don't have to if you-"

He was cut off by arms being thrown around his neck, tugging him almost violently forward.

"Ah! Yes! I'd love to!"

Levi blushed fiercely, stuttering; "R-really? You w-want to?"

Bara pulled away from the hug, allowing Levi to right himself, as she said cheerfully; "Yes! That'd be great!"

Levi's blush only deepened, as he smiled, saying; "Great."

A slight blush crossed Bara's cheeks, as she leaned back in her chair.

She plucked Levi's quill pen from the pen holder, and signed the paper, formally agreeing to be Levi's assistant.

She smiled fondly at the paper, as she slid it back to Levi, handing him the pen.

Levi smiled at her.

"I'm glad you wanted to."

"Why wouldn't I?"

Levi looked up, surprised.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you've got to know that at this point I'm like, one-hundred times more comfortable around you than when I met you, and I love spending time with you, so, of course, I'd agree to this!"

Levi's face got redder than before, as a slight smile graced his lips.

"O-oh... I..." Levi murmured, trying to say something without sounding like an embarrassing fool.

Bara giggled. "I know it's the same for you!"

Levi smiled. "Yeah, I guess it is..."

Suddenly, Bara fell into an awkward silence, as memories of the awkward night before replayed in her mind, muting her with embarrassment.

Levi fiddled with the signed papers, having to try his hardest to control the large grin that wanted to cover his lips.

"So, how have you been sleeping?" Levi asked.

Bara jumped slightly in surprise. She blushed, whispering; "I didn't really sleep too well last night..."

Levi hummed questioningly, before asking; "Why?"

Bara fidgeted in her seat, a slight blush sprawling across her cheeks. "Uhm... I got in there late... And... It took me a while to fall asleep..." She whispered.

Levi hummed again.

"How... about you?"

Levi looked up from the form he was still studying, with a questioning look.

"How did you s-sleep?"

"Oh," Levi muttered. "I slept... fine..." He whispered, averting his gaze from hers.

Bara's face instantly turned a bright shade of red as memories of the night before played on a loop in her mind.

"What's wrong? You look flustered," Levi stated, only serving to make Bara's glowing red cheeks grow a shade or two deeper.

"Uhm... L-Levi... D-do you... Remember... Anything that happened..." Bara said slowly, trying to properly enunciate every word, as she felt she couldn't even speak.

"Do you remember... Anything that happened... Last night... U-um..."

Levi tilted his head in confusion, asking; "What are you getting on about?"

Her blush covered her entire face, as she stammered out something of an apology.

Levi's eyes slowly widened in realization of what she was talking about. His face dusted with a pink blush, starting at the tips of his ears, climbing down his cheeks, until meeting at the bridge of his nose.

"Tetsu," He started, drawing her nervous eyes up to his own. "Are you talking about what I think you-" He couldn't even finish his sentence, as he put the paper on the desk.

His head fell into his hands, as he groaned in embarrassment.

"P-p-please don't be mad at me! I-I wasn't trying to see anything- I-I didn't see anything! I-I just-"

Levi raised a hand to stop her blabbering, saying; "I-I'm not mad."

He sighed and laid his head down on the cool oak wood of his desk. The only thought that ran through his mind was; _Did she hear me say... say her name?_

He could feel his face heating up again, though luckily, his face was hidden in the desk.

Bara turned her head down, murmuring; "S-sorry..."

"Don't apologize," Levi said into the wood of the desk. "If you weren't trying to see anything, nor do anything, there's no point in apologizing."

Bara nodded slightly, the blush on her face disappearing just slightly.

Levi lifted his head up again, sighing. He looked out the open window, through which he could see the orange sun set low in the dark sky, a bright pink streak slashed across the sky.

Levi pushed himself up from the desk and walked to his bedroom. The door creaked open, as he walked in.

Bara sat in an awkward position. She wasn't sure why Levi was going into his bedroom, or what she should do.

Levi walked back out, his emerald green cloak draped over his arm.

Bara looked at him in confusion, wondering what he was doing.

Levi stepped over to the window, closing it with a thud. He walked over to the desk, offering Bara his hand to help her up, asking; "Would you like to go outside?"

Bara looked up at him in confusion, taking his hand, asking; "What? Why?"

"Because, the stars are beautiful."

Bara blushed as she pulled herself up with Levi's hand.

"O-okay... Sure..."

Levi led her down the hallway, and by the other cadets who were headed toward their quarters.

She walked out of the castle, to the courtyard. The brick chill hitting her hard. She shivered as she pulled her survey corps jacket around her body.

"S-so, what did you want to come out here for?"

Levi pointed up with his right hand, the green cloak still slung over his arm.

Bara turned her head up, a look of amazement and wonder crossing her features.

Bright white stars shone like diamonds speckled among the charcoal black sky, the full moon shining brightly like a beacon.

Bara jumped in surprise as she felt a warm cloth envelop her in an embrace, a familiar comforting scent surrounding her.

She turned her head around, to see Levi standing directly behind her, his arms resting on her shoulders, with his large green cloak draped around her body.

"Is that better?" He asked.

"Wh-what?" was all she could muster.

"You were cold, is that better?" He reiterated.

A warm blush covered her cheeks as she grabbed the collar of the cloak, fastening it closed. She nodded, saying; "Th-thank you..."

Levi smiled, responding; "Mondainai."

Bara nuzzled her head into the warm, soft, pleasant fabric. It always had the distinct scent of Levi, a scent Bara would always remember, always find comfort in, always love.

Levi looked up at the vast sky, covered in scattered white dots of stars, some bigger, brighter, some smaller, barely noticeable. The longer he stared at the once seemingly empty sky, the more he discovered how beautiful the stars were, and the sheer number visible to the naked eye.

He sighed contentedly, as he walked by Bara.

She hummed questioningly. Grabbing his arm, she asked; "Levi Sa? Where're you going?"

He turned his head back to face her. He lifted his hand, pointing at the large oak tree situated in the centre of the courtyard.

"Oh, yeah. Let's sit over there!" Bara said with a smile.

As they walked over to Levi's favorite tree, luckily for him, he was faced opposite of Bara, so she couldn't see the bright red covering his face.

Bara's smile remained as she plopped down onto the soft grass, next to the large root of the tree.

Levi leaned his back against the tree, much to Bara's dismay, still standing.

She wanted to sit next to him, be close to him. She would've stood, but she felt too tired.

She stretched her arms above her head, and arched her back, groaning as the muscles stretched.

Levi looked down at her, instantly regretting his decision, because she looked really cute, immediately making his face's red glow become two shades more intense. He quickly turned away once again, as Bara's eyes fell upon him.

"Levi Sa," She said, yawning, and rubbing her eye with the back of her hand. "Are you tired?"

He hummed. "A little."

Bara lifted her legs up and held the to her chest. She pulled the green cloak to cover her body in its warmth as she snuggled back into the tree, her eyes falling closed.

Levi took a chance at looking back down at her, to see her laying comfortably, appearing to already be asleep.

"Oh. She really was tired."

"I'm not asleep."

Levi jumped back in surprise.

"Oh, uh... Okay..." He mumbled, sliding down the tree so that he was sitting only a foot away from her.

She kept her eyes closed, but felt his presence nearer to her. She smiled warmly as her body slumped to the side.

Her head landed on his shoulder, and her eyes popped open in surprise slightly. She felt his body shift and expected him to move away, but to her surprise, he moved closer.

She closed her eyes again; humming contentedly, she nuzzled her head more into his shoulder.

"You're still awake, aren't you."

Bara gave no response but shuffled closer to his body, his warm body.

"I'll take that as a yes," he mumbled.

"By the way," he whispered, drawing her silent attention. "I don't care what you saw or heard last night, but tell no one."


	21. Morning visit and a shower realization

**[AN] Hello guys! Back with another update! Sorry for the long wait! I really am! My beta-reader was having internet troubles and finished the chapters I sent them just as quickly as possible. I will try to get on a schedule of one chapter per week, maybe two. If one day per week, Wednesday, if two, Wednesday and Saturday. Anyhow, please enjoy and leave a review!**

* * *

Bara's eyes slowly opened, her entire body feeling pleasantly warm. Her hand inadvertently went to her arm, feeling her... Clothed skin?

She stirred under the covers, noticing that they felt heavier. With a light groan, she fully opened her eyes, looking down. She saw that she had the regular blanket on her, but nevertheless, they felt heavier...

She lifted her arm slightly, feeling a rough-ish fabric rub against her arm. When the blanket lifted just slightly, a familiar scent wafted through the room, instantly sending shivers down her spine.

She hummed questioningly, an intrigued look on her face, as she fully lifted the blanket and tossed it aside.

It took her a moment, for her brain to recognize and comprehend the object sitting on her. For a moment, she was confused. Until she remembered the night before.

She held the green fabric between tightly closed fists, as she brought it closer to her face, covering her mouth. The ever soothing scent wafted through the air, stimulating her senses.

"What the hell is that smell?" Jean asked from below.

Bara let out a contented sigh, before wiping off all the happiness her face harbored, to roll over on the bed, peering over the edge of it at Jean.

"It's your superior you di-

A knock on the door interrupted her insult and drew both their attentions to the door.

"Who is it?" Bara asked.

The door cracked open, the raven-haired beauty peering in.

Bara began to like that nickname.

"I just came here to..." Levi murmured, walking into the room. "Get this..." he finished, gently placing his hand upon her chest, the small clasp of his cloak still fastened.

"Perv..." Jean called, pushing himself up on his forearms.

Levi peered down at him sidelong, as he felt Bara's chest rise in bouncing motions with her laughter.

"Jean! What makes him a perv?"

Jean chuckled, as he said; "Look where he's touching."

Bara looked down at where Levi's hand made contact with her chest, his thumb resting gently on the clasp of the cloak. Her face brushed with pink, as she let out another small giggle.

Levi's face turned a shade of crimson red upon realizing his hand was currently placed.

He shifted his hand over slightly, pulling apart the clasp.

"Here," Bara said, turning her head to the side as she moved the cloak off her shoulders. She leaned forward, trying to grab the cloak out from under her back, however, she hit Levi's forehead upon doing so.

Levi's head reared back in surprise.

"Oops! Sorry, Sa!" Bara said, finally managing to gather up the emerald cloth.

Her body fell back down onto the bed, as she lifted her arms up, the green fabric adorned with the wings of freedom held in her hands.

Levi smiled softly, a smile only Bara caught, as he gently grabbed the cloak from her hands.

"Thanks for letting me borrow this, by the way," Bara said with a smile.

Levi nodded. "Yeah."

He leaned back so that he was no longer leaning over the bed, and turned to face the door.

"See you later, Sa."

Levi turned his head over his shoulder. With a slight smile, he said; "Yeah, see you later..."

He quickly left the room afterward.

Jean sat up, and was silent for a moment, before saying; "Is he your boyfriend?" in a sing-song voice.

Bara furrowed her eyebrows, mumbling; "Eighth grader..."

* * *

Bara walked down the hall, her sights set on Levi's office, a pleasant smile on her features. Without even thinking, she opened the door without knocking.

Levi didn't even look up, just continued to write whatever he was writing, as he said; "Good morning Tetsu."

Bara smiled as she closed the door behind herself.

"Not feeling like knocking today?" He asked, still staring at his papers.

Bara giggled lightly. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking about it."

Levi waved his hand at her slightly, telling her to disregard that little tidbit, as he turned to open a drawer of his desk, fishing through it for something.

She smiled slightly as she stepped toward the desk, and sat in the small chair facing it.

Levi sighed as he was unable to find what he was looking for, and closed the drawer with an unnecessarily loud slam.

He opened a drawer on the adjacent side, once again fishing through. Levi growled while moving through papers in the drawer, still not finding what he was looking for.

Bara leaned over the desk, asking in a gentle voice; "Are you having trouble with something?"

Levi glanced up, his features softening slightly as he let out a small sigh. "No... Well, yes..." He sighed in annoyance as he placed his hands on the desk, nudging the drawer closed with his knee.

"There was some stupid paperwork stupid shitty-glasses sent me about the stupid mission," he said in a monotone.

Bara was silent for a moment, before responding with; "Sounds stupid."

"It is!" he quickly yelled back. "It's all so stupid..." He sighed as his chin fell in his palm.

Bara smiled slightly. "Well, that sounds fun."

"So fricking fun..." Levi mumbled, his eyes half-lidded as he stared down at the desk.

"Wait, do you mean this?"

Levi looked back up at her, holding up a piece of paper with the messy handwriting that was clearly none others then shitty-glasses'.

"No, because it doesn't say 'dumb ass shit from a monkey of a woman' on it," He said, grabbing the paper. "... But yes."

Bara smirked. "So when is this..." She cleared her throat as she prepared to quote him. "Dumb ass shit," air-quotation marks and all. "supposed to be?"

Levi chuckled softly, a barely audible noise. "Shitty-glasses said it'd probably be within a few days. Or probably whenever I finish this paperwork."

"Ah, so that's why you're taking so long to finish this stuff."

"You noticed," Levi mumbled bored as he looked over the last form he'd have to fill out.

"So, what're you here for?" he asked, lazily dropping the paper so that it floated back down to the desk. "Or are you just here to screw around?"

Bara blushed slightly as she mumbled; "I dunno... I guess I kinda came here to help..."

Levi sighed softly. "I don't have anything for you to help with."

"But your desk is filthy," she pointed out, shuffling around some of the scattered papers strewn across his desk.

Levi looked around at the desk, mumbling; "Yeah..." and wondering when it had gotten like that.

"Can I help with this?" she asked with a hopeful look in her eyes.

A small, almost invisible smile graced his lips, as he confided her. "Sure."

She smiled gleefully. "Yay! Okay, where do you need me to put these?" she asked, heaving up a large stack of papers as she stood.

"Those need to go to Shitty-"

"Got it!" she confirmed before he finished his sentence.

She was already headed to the door without a second word.

"Wait," stopped her just before leaving.

She turned her head over her shoulder with a curious look on her features.

"Yeah?"

Levi's cheeks dusted pink as he averted his gaze, mumbling; "N-nevermind..."

She smiled. "Okay. I'll be right back after I take these to Hange!"

Levi nodded slightly as she walked out the door. He watched her take long fast strides down the empty hall with a light sigh. He plopped his chin in his hand as his eyelids drooped closed slightly.

"She makes a great assistant..."

Bara was humming a random non-existent tune as she practically hopped to Hange's office.

Once reaching it, she swiftly knocked on the door, careful not to drop the numerous papers in hand.

Hange opened the door quickly, an ecstatic glint in her eyes.

"Bara! I-"

She was cut off with the papers being shoved rather forcefully into her chest, a few of the papers on top flying off and floating to the ground.

Without a single word, Bara turned on her heels and skipped down the halls once again.

Hange stared in confusion, muttering; "Could've at least talked..." in more of whining voice than an annoyed one.

Bara's humming resumed. She may seem happy and aloof, but she fricking _hates_ the idea of having to interact with _Hange_ of all people.

Bara smiled to herself as she walked into the wide open doorway of Levi's office.

She knocked on the doorframe before plopping herself onto the white sofa to the right of Levi's desk.

"Yeah, just go make yourself right at home," he mumbled half-heartedly as he filled out the last of the dreaded files.

"Well don't mind if I do," Bara said, shimmying into the cushions and eventually sprawling out across the sofa.

"Yeah cool, do whatever just don't put your feet up there."

She righted herself on the sofa saying; "Okay, then I'll just sit. I'll be here if you need me for anything!"

Levi smiled softly, before quickly covering it with his usual deadpan expression. The man had one hell of a poker-face.

"Actually, I do need you for something."

"What is it?" Bara quickly responded with more than just a hint of happiness in her tone.

Levi slid a large stack of papers closer to the edge of the desk, saying; "Take these to Mike's office, please."

Bara quickly hopped up and walked to the desk with quite a spring in her step.

"Sure thing!"

She lifted the large stack into her arms in one swift movement.

"Be back in a minute!"

Levi smiled as he filled out the last of the document, listening to the clicking of Bara's boots along the stone floor.

She has no idea what she does to him.

He just wishes he could tell her just what she does to him.

But he can never bring himself to...

Every time he's tried to say something, nothing comes out. Either that or he stops himself before he can say anything. And he can't fathom why.

Literally the worst that could happen is she says she doesn't feel the same way about him. But, if he were to tell her, and she were to say no, the way she sees him could completely change for the worst.

She may not respect him the same, she may not want to be around him, she may not like him the same.

He would always shake off these kinds of thoughts, saying he's just worrying for naught... But what if these are true? What if her view of him changes when he tells her?

He always worries himself with these thoughts, he always keeps himself up late into the night, worrying about something that's most likely never going to happen.

But nevertheless, that possibility scares him. That she'll never know how he feels, or that she'll reject him, or that she could die at almost any moment, or that he could die at almost any moment.

He's just worrying for naught...

"Levi Sa!"

His head popped up to see Bara standing in the doorway, practically bouncing.

How long had she been there? How long was he lost in thought? He really needs to stop doing that...

"Yeah?"

"I was going to go to training... Do you need to go too? Or... Is there anything you need me to do... Or...?"

"Uhm, yeah. I mean... I need to go to training, yes. And no, I don't need you for anything else. I just need to take this last file up to Shitty-glasses' office."

"Oh, I can do that!"

"No, go ahead and get to training. I'll be there soon after."

Bara looked slightly disappointed at first, before brightening up and saying; "Okay!"

Levi smiled softly. She's so very special to him, in many ways.

* * *

"Jean! Kirstein! Lover-boy! Horse-face! Idiot! Dumbass! Jackass!"

Jean growled as he turned to face the source of incessant yelling. "WHAT."

"First off, hi. Second off, let's train together!"

Jean thought about it for a moment, before smiling and saying; "Sure. But, as long as I don't end up on my a-"

* * *

Bara swiftly landed a kick to Jean's shins after dodging his attempt at a punch. While he was mid-trip, she grabbed his shirt collar and pushed him down forcefully.

"Ow! Crap!" he yelled as he hit the ground hard, landing flat on his ass.

"Damnit..." he mumbled as he climbed to his feet.

Bara helped him up and dusted her hands off after. "Hah! And you landed on your ass!"

Jean grumbled something as he turned and began to walk toward the castle.

"Jean!? Where do you think you're going!?"

"Inside. Where my ass won't be thrown onto the hard dirt."

"Fine, then I'll just follow you and throw your ass on the hard stone."

Jean took up a sprint and made it into the castle before Bara, and disappeared among halls and cadets.

"Damn... Slippery little-"

"Tetsu."

She turned around to see Levi greeting her.

"Oh! Hi, Levi Sa!"

Levi smiled softly as he asked; "How was training? I noticed you and Kirstein were out there longer than the rest and were sparring."

"Oh yeah, it was fun! Jean landed hard on his ass! Like, twice!"

"Good, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself again."

Bara's features suddenly hardened, her body stiffening.

"Y-yeah."

Levi noticed her sudden change in mood and was going to say something, but the words got caught in his throat.

Bara swiftly turned on her heels, saying; "W-well anyway, bye, Levi Sa. I'll see you tomorrow..."

"Yeah," he mumbled.

He gently placed his hand on her shoulder, saying; "Be sure you get something to eat, Tetsu. And..." He choked on his words slightly, before whispering; "I hope you sleep well... Oyasumi... (Goodnight)"

Bara's cheeks lit up with pink. "Y-yeah... O-oyasumi..."

She suddenly found herself so flustered at the small amount of physical contact and nice words. Well, this is Levi we're talking about. Those things are rare to come by with him.

'I thought you didn't like physical contact...' she said to herself as she walked into the mess.

She sighed with her hands on her hips.

'Just avoid people as frivolously as possible and you'll get out of this with the minimal amount of human contact, and get to bed quicker. Easy.'

* * *

"Ugh," Bara grumbled as she walked to the showers after having spent far longer than she wanted in the Mess Hall.

"Fricking Eren and his yapping..."

Armin, Mikasa, Jean and Krista she can stand.

But Eren, Sasha and Connie she _cannot_ handle. Sometimes Eren... but add Springles to the mix and it's too much to bear.

Bara sighed as she shed herself of her dirty clothes.

It always felt so nice to wash and unwind.

A loud creak signaled the water turning on.

Bara let out a long contented sigh as hot water streamed down her back and shoulders. Her eyes slowly fluttered closed as she tried to let herself truly relax.

Throughout the entire day, she keeps her guard up at it's utmost. She may seem rather aloof but she's truly very vigilant. When she appears to be paying no mind, she's actually paying very close attention to her surroundings, and always remaining prepared for all hell to break loose. It may not seem like it, but that quality has been ground into her skull by relentless teachings.

And she has never gone against that rule since it engrained itself in her mind. She almost never allows herself to relax. Even now, when she tells herself she's relaxing, for most people she's still on very high alert. She really can't let herself relax. No matter how hard she tries, she just can't. A little voice in the back of her head that she can never bring herself to ignore tells her to remain vigilant, to watch her surroundings, to listen for anything out of the ordinary.

No matter how hard she tries... And she's found that she can't even sleep without that voice taking over her mind and thoughts, and turning every noise in the dark into a feral beast coming to get her, or a murderer lurking in the shadows, or something of the like.

She can't relax because if she does, she'll lose someone important to her again, she'll lose the ones she loves, and she'll blame herself again. She'll blame herself for something that wasn't her fault, because she thinks she should've been there, or she should've paid more attention or something else like that. She knows that will happen. She's done it before.

Although, when she really thinks about it, there is one situation she can always find herself relaxing in. When she's around Levi. Something about his protective and even intimidating personality, and that scent of his that she loves so much, just relaxes her...

When she opened her eyes, she realized she was sobbing, loudly. She brought a hand to her cheek and wiped away the tears dripping down it.

She quickly finished her shower afterward and headed back to the barracks, her emotions completely in shambles.

 _At least... I'll be able to see Levi again... Tomorrow..._


	22. Expedition part 1

**[AN] The long-awaited expedition. There will be more titan-fighting goodness in part.2**

* * *

Bara felt nervous, for the first time in a long time, she felt really nervous. Her nerves felt like they were bound together and constricting her breathing and thinking. Her heartbeat was more erratic than she would've preferred, and she was sweaty for it being fifty degrees out.

She let out a shaky sigh as she adjusted the collar of her jacket.

They were going out into completely uncharted territory, the only thing they had to guide them to where they believed they needed to go was a rough map that she didn't know how to read.

'We're screwed. I'm screwed! WE'RE ALL COMPLETELY SCREWED.'

"Hey, Tetsu."

A hand landed on her shoulder, eliciting her gaze to fall behind her on the smaller man that was her captain.

"Calm down. You look like you're constipated as hell."

She nodded slightly, though the tension in her muscles never left as Levi walked away.

"Damn it... Get a grip on yourself..." she whispered as she walked to Uma, her beautifully white horse.

"Hey, girl. How are you?" she asked in a sing-song voice. "Oh come on, don't give me that face! Aren't you happy that you're healed now?"

Uma puffed out through her nose as she chewed on straw.

"I know you were probably a little grumpy since you felt drowsy, but you're fine now! Don't give me an attitude or it's no carrots for you," she added with a pout and the cross of her arms.

Ah, her horse really helped her calm herself.

Uma's head reared up with a neigh. She kicked her forelegs and jumped around a little.

Bara huffed. "Okay okay, here're your carrots." She carefully extended a hand toward Uma's mouth, small orange carrots sitting in her palm. "Diva..." she mumbled as Uma crunched into the small root vegetables.

"Alright cadets, let's get going," the raven-haired captain said from behind.

"Hai Sa!" Bara yelled as she hopped up from her crouching position, thoroughly annoying Uma.

She heaved the saddle into her arms and threw it onto Uma's back. If Uma was just a little faster she would've kicked Bara. Not quite fast enough, though.

"Hehe, nice try old girl. Man, you've got an attitude..." She mumbled as she put the bridle for the reins into her mouth, Uma complying surprisingly well.

Bara smirked as she hopped onto the saddle. Uma started up a trot and reached the rest of the cadets already moving.

Bara was definitely glad that Jean decided to go, and definitely not glad that Connie and Sasha decided to go. She sighed a mixture of content and annoyance as she situated herself between Jean and Connie.

"Hey peach-fuzz," She mumbled, not even bothering to look at Connie while she said this.

Connie pouted and turned to Sasha to start talking, which was when Bara instantly started drowning out all sound for the sake of her sanity. Yeah, that'd be a good idea.

"So, how're you feeling about this mission?"

Jean looked at her a moment, before saying; "Nervous. You?"

"Same."

"I have no idea what to expect from this, so... I guess... Just... Be careful..."

"Yeah..." Bara said with a single nod.

When the giant gate opened, Bara's heart was beating in her ears, her vision fading slightly.

No, no. Not now, now of all times!

She felt like she was hyperventilating, her entire body began shaking, and her already deathly tight grip on the reigns turned tighter, making her knuckles a bright white.

"Jean..."

He turned to look at her, giving her his full attention.

"Promise me you'll stay close by."

"... Wh-what?"

"PROMISE ME," she yelled, her head snapping around to look at him.

"O-okay... I-I promise."

She exhaled a shaky breath of slight relief whispering; "Good... I-I don't want to lose you..."

For a long while, the only sound that filled Bara's ears was the loud clop of numerous horses' feet hitting the ground as they ran. Her mind fuzzed away and all negative thoughts evaporated.

Yes, good. She was starting to feel that euphoric high of freedom that came with being outside the walls. That would help relax her... A little.

If she could just get a little closer to Levi...

She whipped the reins in her hands, making Uma run faster. She weaved around the other cadets, spotting Krista and Armin in the mix.

They shouldn't be here... They'll get hurt...

She suddenly found herself nestled between Hange and Mike, still not as close to Levi as she'd like.

"Bara! How are you?"

She sighed, saying; "Fine."

"Oh! This mission is going to be so fun!" the loud brunette squealed.

The quiet brunette sighed again, as she whipped the reins of her horse again, Uma will not be happy later...

"Wait! Bara!" Hange called to deaf ears. Or, deaf to her.

Bara's face brightened in a broad smile as she found Levi situated next to titan boy, otherwise known as Eren.

"Eren!" she called, masking her excitement to see Levi with an eagerness to talk to Eren.

"Oh! Hey Bara!" he responded as she shimmied herself between her Captain and Eren.

"Hello Tetsu," Levi said, voice monotone as ever.

"Kon'nichiwa, Sa! (Hi, sir! [Did I really need to put that?])"

Levi smiled softly as he turned his head away to look out at the forest of large trees.

Yes, that was why he turned away. To look at the forest of 'big-ass trees'. No, it was not so that she didn't see his slight blush or smile. No, no. What the hell, yes it was.

He sighed slightly as the only sound that filled his ears was the loud thumping of numerous horses, until... Something else could be heard, and Bara caught this at the same time.

"Fifteen-meter titan to the east!"

"Two more, smaller titans with it!" Levi added.

Bara growled, her hands reaching toward her blade holsters set at her hips, but paused before unsheathing them. She gave Levi an asking look, and a single nod was all that was necessary.

With her left hand gripping the handle of a sword sitting on her right hip, and her right hand pulling the reigns, Uma reared to the right, around Levi, and headed straight toward the three titans.

One was around fifteen meters, a huge one, the other two, around five to eight meters.

Once she was at a proper distance, she pushed herself up on the stir-ups, no longer sitting on the saddle.

"Uma"

A small puff of air out of the white horse's nostrils signaled she heard and was listening for her command.

"Tērusupin."

Uma bucked her head up as a response.

Bara smirked. "Always a good listener."

She pressed the trigger on the handle of the sheathed blade, launching an anchor into the giant titan's left shoulder. Bara launched forward with a shot of gas, (Uma was very unhappy,) and swung herself toward the giant beast.

After she was off, her horse turned around 180 degrees and headed toward the other cadets.

Her right hand came down to grip the handle of a sheathed blade at her left hip, her left hand holding one at her right hip.

Seconds before she would've made contact with the creature, she released her blades in one swift motion, cutting the leg of the titan as well, almost completely taking it off.

It screeched and leaned more of its weight onto its right leg, instead of falling on its face like the other titans would've.

"Ah, we're a smart one, eh?"

Still on the same anchor in the titan's shoulder, Bara swung under the titan's left arm and around to its neck. She shot another anchor into the titan's shoulder blade and retracted the other anchor. With a quick burst of gas, she sent herself flying toward its nape with a large amount of speed and momentum.

In a single, clean (Not really [titan blood everywhere {you probably knew what I meant |but just in case|}]) strike, the titan's nape was sliced and effectively killed.

Bara landed roughly on the ground next to the thoroughly evaporating titan, her hands on her knees, panting. She had gotten herself completely out of breath.

With a rough intake of breath, she remembered; "Crap! The other-" But her realization was met with a pleasant surprise. "-... Titans..." she finished as she watched the raven-haired beauty of her dreams gracefully slicing through the two titans on his own.

"Wow," she whispered as he finished off the last of the smaller beasts.

Levi landed on the ground just as gracefully as he had been flying through the air. He sheathed his blades and whistled for his horse.

"Wow... Nice job... Sa." She was still a little bit tired and out of breath.

"Yeah," he answered curtly.

At first, Bara was disappointed with that response, until he continued with; "You did good, too. Nice work. That was a large titan that you dispatched rather quickly."

Bara smiled widely, and saluted him, saying with a soft pink blush dusting her cheeks; "Arigato, Sa! (Thank you, sir! [again, not necessary])"

Levi sighed with a smirk.

"I told you,"

He gently placed his hand on the fist she held to her heart and moved it down to her side.

"Not to salute to everything I tell you."

* * *

 **[AN] Tērusupin means tailspin.**


	23. Expedition part 2

**[AN] Heyo! Another update! If you like titan fights, you'll LOVE the next few chapters! The drama really amps up, and I have a lot of secrets to be revealed in the future! Enjoy, and please leave a review!**

* * *

Bara's soft pink blush turned red as Levi's hand moved her closed fist back down to her hips. Immediately after doing so, Levi retracted his hand and turned, whistling once again for his horse, who came back from the group of cadets.

Bara's heart hammered in her chest, not from the tasking actions she'd just performed, (okay maybe,) but from the act Levi had just performed.

 _'I thought you didn't like physical contact?'_

She asked herself internally, as she too whistled for her moody though surprisingly loyal steed, who too immerged from the crowd of cadets a ways away.

Levi hopped onto the saddle wordlessly, though his gaze was beckoned toward her by a sweet sound he never thinks he'll get tired of. "What?" he snapped as he stared at Bara's giggling form. "I'm surprised you can get up there!" Eren, who happened to be nearby, looked at her like she'd just given Levi a death threat. Bara felt that Levi probably would've kicked her ass had she not befriended him to an extent.

To everyone's surprise, Levi's lip curled up in a wry smirk. "Well, stirrups, and upper-body strength," he said with a rare and unusually amused voice. Bara chuckled as she too jumped on her horse's saddle. "You're a hoot, Sa."

"Good to hear," he said as he brought his horse up to a trot. Bara chuckled as she followed suit. Everyone seemed to look at them as though they were specters visiting the Earth from heaven, or space aliens come to abduct them and perform tests, or Hange.

Bara honestly found it amusing. Especially when she looked back on how she used to act around Levi. She was very timid, very tense, very uncomfortable. Now she's the polar opposite. She feels she can say anything to an extent with no backlash, as long as everything is in good fun. And she's sure Levi feels the same.

Bara just realized something. In that moment, she was completely relaxed. She wasn't worried, she wasn't scared, she wasn't stressed, she wasn't even on alert. She was relaxed. All because of Levi... The things he does to her are amazing... She just wishes he would know that... But she can't bring up the nerve...

The air suddenly took a very cold turn, her entire body shivering with the sudden chill. She pulled the emerald green cloak tighter around her body as to keep her body heat in and keep herself warm. She let out a shaky sigh and was actually able to see her breath in a little cloud.

"Leeeeeviiii~!"

"Oh lord," he sighed as a crazy brunette on an equally brunette horse rode up to him.

"We're almost there!"

"Good to know, now go away."

"Owww, Levi! But I'm just here to check up on my little test subject!"

"He's fine," an earlier unnoticed voice said from behind Eren.

"Oh! Mikasa!" Hange squealed as she maneuvered away from Levi and toward the raven-haired female. "Let's talk Eren!"

"What!? But-but that's just weird!" Eren yelled as they began discussing Eren's strengths and weaknesses.

Bara sighed as she moved slightly closer to Levi.

"Those two are way too loud; Hange and Eren," she said just loud enough for Levi to hear.

"Tell me about it," he said with a roll of his eyes. "The brat's been annoying since he first got here."

Bara chuckled slightly. "Everyone's a little annoying at first."

Levi shrugged. "Not everyone."

"What do you mean?"

"You weren't."

Bara hummed nonchalantly though on the inside she was squealing.

"At one point I was probably annoying."

Levi looked up to the sky thoughtfully a moment, before turning to his left to look at her again. "Not that I can think of."

"Really? No way! I mean... Never?"

Levi cocked his head to the side. "You're being a little annoying now. But besides that, I've either impassive toward you or amused."

Bara smiled. "Well... That's nice I guess. It's not so good for you, though."

Levi's brows furrowed as he asked; "What does that mean?" in more of a curious tone than one of anger or annoyance.

"Well... You've done a lot more good for me than I have for you... But... You've also done a lot more... Bad."

Levi raised a single slender brow in a show of curiosity. "Like?"

"Well..." she started, recalling the time he told everyone of her attempted suicide. "Remember what you did about a week ago?"

Levi's face darkened slightly as he remembered what she was referring to.

"I'm not still mad or anything... But I-"

"Do you trust me?" he asked suddenly.

"What!? Are you insane!?"

His brows furrowed as he looked at her with slightly wide eyes. He might've taken that the wrong way.

"Of course I trust you! Don't be stupid! I trust and respect you more than anyone else."

Levi's face turned slightly relieved, as he said quietly; "Good. We can't function as a team unless you trust your leader." Though, Bara knew that was not that reason he asked.

Bara smiled. "Yeah. Of course."

For a good majority of time, things went smoothly. The leaders of the group; Levi Hange and Mike, seemed to be doing fine with themselves and their groups, but everything fell downhill from then on.

It all started going terribly wrong when they had to stop.

For two reasons; One) Their horses were getting terribly tired and needed a break to graze and rest. And two) Hange and Armin couldn't decipher where they were on the map.

"Listen, idiots, we need to get moving again. Our horses have been resting for twenty minutes, and the longer we stay out here the higher a risk there is of getting eaten! Plus, it's going to be dark too soon. If we don't get moving, we'll just need to turn back!"

"No! We can't turn back! We're almost there! I-I think..." Hange said, trying desperately to convince Levi she knew where she was going and not to turn back. Levi growled and crossed his arms. "Oi, brat." Armin jumped in surprise and fumbled with the map, trying to show it to him.

"Where are we," he sternly asked. "W-we-we're e-either h-here," he said, pointing somewhere near the abandoned castle Hange was planning on going to. "Or we're here." He pointed somewhere that was about twenty-five miles west of the abandoned castle. "Well, which is it?" Levi demanded.

The timid blond stuttered with his words, fear clenching his throat and keeping him debilitated from talking. Levi growled again, yelling; "Tetsu! Kirstein! Figure out where we are!" Bara walked over as Jean scurried in place next to Armin, looking at the map in his hands completely perplexed, just as confused as Bara.

"You weren't keeping track of where we were going!?" he asked.

"I-I-I was... I-I just... I just l-lost track-and-and-"

Levi growled again and snatched the map from his hands. He looked over the map, finding where they started and moving across it with his eyes. They stayed outside of the forest the entire time, they kept a distance of about five miles between them and the forest, keeping themselves a little safer from surprise titan attacks. However, he was unsure of where exactly they were. He tried to look around for land markers that might show up on the map, but it was very basic. The only thing was the forest, and he couldn't tell where they were just judging off that.

He furrowed his brows and grimaced, shoving the map into Hange's chest. The taller brunette yelped as she grabbed it. Levi planted his finger down, saying; "We're here. Now, let's hurry up and get moving."

"But Levi, how do you know th-"

"We've been going north the entire time. And this is where we started." He planted his finger down in another place to show Hange where he was referring. "So, since we covered the outer edge of the forest, moving north the entire time," he said slowly, dragging his finger across the path they took as he spoke. "We're here."

"But Levi, I don't think-"

"Let's get moving. We need to be headed north-east."

"But Levi! I think we need to go east!"

Levi glared at Hange as he asked; "Why," in a low menacing baritone.

Her face went pale as she yelped; "Because, the castles that way!"

Levi growled at her contradiction. "Fine," he spat as he hopped on his horse's saddle, using the stirrups to his advantage.

Bara pouted as she looked at the map Hange frivolously examined.

"How do you read this thing!?" she shouted.

"I'll show you later," Levi called from his horse. "But right now saddle up so we can ride into the death-trap forest under Hange's order," he griped.

Hange whined as she jumped on her horse. "It's not a death trap!"

"Well, it's a titan riddled hell on earth... So I'd call that a death trap."

"Jeez, you two should stop bickering," Mike complained.

"Shut up," came the snippy retort.

Mike rolled his eyes as his horse started up a run.

Hange pouted as she whipped her reigns, pulling her horse up to a trot.

"Levi," Bara whispered as she neared Levi. "how do you read maps?"

Levi sighed and rolled his eyes. "You've never been taught before?"

She shook her head. "Nope, never. I've always just looked at them and wondered how people read them..."

Levi looked at her in bewilderment a moment. "Really? Well, I'll show you later."

"Yeah... Well, actually, Armin tried. He's a smart kid, he just isn't a great teacher. I mean... He explained things to his best abilities, but when I was confused about something he couldn't give me a better or different explanation. So I never actually learned how to read a map. They're just too confusing..."

"I think it's simple enough."

Bara shrugged. "That's because you know how."

Levi nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

"Hey, guys," Eren called as he neared them. "How much longer until we're supposed to be there?"

Levi shrugged. "Ask four-eyes."

"Or Armin," Bara added.

Eren nodded. "Okay," he affirmed as he turned to meet up with Armin a little ways behind him.

Levi rolled his eyes as they turned east toward the giant, titan-infested, death-trap, tourist attraction of a forest.

"Hange... You'd better be right..." he growled.

Bara felt a cold chill of fear run down her spine as she entered the daunting forest.

They only went a few moments in the forest before disaster struck.

There was a loud boom from behind them, sounding like an explosion.

No one would be prepared for what happened next.

It was as if it was right out of hell.

Even Levi wasn't expecting a catastrophe so catatonic.


	24. Expedition part 3

**[AN] Hello, hello! Back for another update! Next chapter's gonna be great... _This_ chapter's gonna be great... Well, enjoy the titan fighting, cadet killing, emotion beckoning, heartstring-pulling goodness. Please leave a review! :)**

* * *

Bara's head whipped around, being faced with a dreadful scene.

A cadet had already been killed, in the mouth of a titan they screamed their last words, begging for help that they couldn't receive from their shocked peers.

Another blood-curdling scream rang out much closer to Bara. Armin had been grabbed. He was slowly being brought to the gaping mouth of a large titan.

"Shit!" Bara yelled as she pushed herself up on her stirrups, unsheathed her blades, and readied herself to attack.

"Levi Sa!" she called out.

Levi brought his horse near hers. "Yeah?"

"Can you take that one?" she asked as she pointed a blade to the titan eating the cadet.

He glanced over and nodded. "Yeah."

"I'll take this one," she announced, now pointing at the titan holding a horrified Armin.

"Just be careful," Levi warned as he manoeuvred over to the other titan.

"Will do," she whispered as she shot a grapple at the titan's arm. It paid no notice to the intruder on his meal, as she zipped up to it, a quick shot of gas speeding the action.

Bara sliced across the arm of the titan that held Armin, effectively cutting the hand off and dropping Armin dangerously.

Armin screamed as he fell through the air, his blond hair whipping into his face, his calm blue eyes distraught and dilated in fear.

"CRAP, ARMIN!" she screamed.

"ARMIN!" Mikasa and Eren screamed in unison, Mikasa jumping up on her stirrups and shooting an anchor at the titan's leg. She flew toward the titan, and Armin in turn.

"M-MIKASA!" Armin reached his hand out, gripping onto Mikasa's outstretched arm and let out a sigh of intense relief as he fell into her grasp.

He shook in her arms as Mikasa landed on the ground, holding him close to her chest.

"Armin? Are you okay?" she asked quietly, shaking his shoulders slightly.

Armin whimpered and slowly nodded. "Y-yes, th-thank you M-Mikasa," he said as he gripped her shoulders to steady himself, as his legs could not yet hold him.

"Armin!" Eren yelled from behind them. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

Armin looked down at himself, then back up at Eren. He shook his head. "N-no. I-I'm fine."

Armin finally managed stand on his own two feet, though he continued to shake, his entire body still racking with fear.

"Armin!? Are you okay?" Krista yelled as Armin shakily jumped onto his horse that was situated by hers.

He nodded shakily. "Y-yes... I'm fine. Thank you, Krista."

She looked at him with worry but nodded.

Mikasa fixed her scarf as she too jumped on her horse next to Eren's. She looked over at Bara who was working hard on attacking the titan. Mikasa abruptly stretched her left hand out toward Eren, head still turned toward the offending titan. Eren seemed confused and hesitant for a moment, but he reached his right hand out toward hers, intertwining their fingers in a tangle. Mikasa smiled slightly as he grabbed her hand, but the smile quickly evaporated.

"BARA!" she screamed as she watched her comrade getting swatted out of the sky.

Levi gasped as he swiftly turned around after having defeated the opposing titan and landing on a nearby tree branch, sadly unable to save the cadet it had in its mouth.

"Shit, Bara!" he yelled, though the only one who heard him was Jean who was nearby, just as surprised as him, both planning on rushing in to help their friend and doing so at the same time.

As they jumped toward the titan, Levi yelled; "Jean! Help me out here!"

Jean was slightly surprised at first, before promptly responding; "Y-yes sir!"

Levi stared at the titan as it walked toward the area where Bara landed. 'Please be okay.'

-Line-

Bara slid across the ground, her 3DMG falling off in the process, screaming in pain as her jacket sleeve tore and her arm ripped open.

She unsteadily pushed herself up on the arm that wasn't undoubtedly broken, to look at the impending titan. Just seconds ago she was easily flying around it, not having a single worry! Now her arm is broken?

She gritted her teeth as immense pain struck through her whole body at the attempt to use her right arm.

'Okay, not broken, just hurts like A BITCH.' she thought as she managed to use both arms to prop herself up, and then unsteadily push herself to her feet.

"You big bastard," she seethed as she held up one hand in a defensive position, the other falling slack at her side dripping with blood.

Levi growled as he readied his blades to attack, the giant titan not even taking notice of his swift approach. He spun across the back of the titan, leaving a giant gash along the length of it.

His eyes widened in shock as it turned swiftly, almost knocking the anchor embedded in its shoulder upon doing so. It flew it's hand forward to try to grab Levi, and for some reason, he was frozen in shock and fear.

'No, what's wrong with you!? Move, move, move, MOVE DAMNIT!' he screamed at himself as the millisecond he had left to react evaporated.

There was a fast movement beside him, and a slash on the hand of the giant attacker. Jean had come in at just the right time.

Levi thought he could feel relieved until the hand reared back due to the force, and in turn, pulled violently on the wire and lunging him forward.

To stop himself from flinging forward, of course, his immediate reaction was to grab the wire with his right hand.

Upon realising that something was there the titan grabbed the wire and flung it down, effectively throwing Levi to the ground. However, because he had a very firm grip on the wire with his left hand when the wire was thrown, it not only took him to the ground with it but the force and abrupt movement dislocated his shoulder.

He screamed in pain as his back violently scraped against the hard forest floor. The bottom half of his cape almost completely ripped off, and the 3DMG on his waist only provided more pain.

-LINE-

"Don't let it get away!" Mike yelled as cadets attempted to manage taking out a large titan, but could never get to the nape, and it was appearing to begin to walk away.

He growled as he gripped the handle of his swords.

"I guess it only gets done right when you do it yourself..." he said through gritted teeth.

He shot a grapple at the titan that seemed to be walking away from the assaulting cadets nonchalantly.

The titan finally paid notice to his attackers when the grapple of Mike's 3DMG landed in its neck. Mike zoomed toward it, sights set on the nape.

The titan quickly turned it's head just before Mike could manage to attack, and snapped its jaw closed around him.

He didn't even have enough time to scream before his life was abruptly ended.

Hange's eyes widened larger than her than her glasses, her mouth dropping open.

"MIKE!" she screamed as she jumped to her feet and drew her blades, quickly flying toward the titan in a blinding rage.

Mikasa and Eren sat in utter shock at the events unfolding before them. Pandemonium and catastrophe at its highest.

Mikasa gripped Eren's hand tighter in hers, fear and panic beginning to take hold of her calm demeanour.

Hange was erratically cutting and slicing everywhere on the giant titan, unable to properly control and think through her actions in a haze of rage influenced attacks.

"No," Mikasa whispered. "Hange isn't thinking. She's going to get herself killed."

"She doesn't care," Eren quickly responded.

Mikasa looked at him with surprise and worry. "What?"

"She cared a lot about Mike. Probably a lot more than we knew. But right now, she's too angry and grief-stricken to worry about her own well being. All she cares about is trying to kill that titan. Whether or not it kills her too."

Mikasa looked back out to the sad scene being played out in front of her.

She stood, saying; "We have to stop her,"

"No," Eren said, pulling her back to sit on the saddle with the hand that still held hers. "We can't."

Mikasa looked at him in confusion.

"At the moment, if we were to jump in, she probably wouldn't even bother with trying not to hit us, she'd just continue like nothing changed, even if she did notice us. It's just too dangerous. I'm sorry but we can't."

Mikasa's face turned dark and very worried. She turned back to see Hange cutting along the face of the titan.

"This isn't fair," she whispered, her face dark and covered by her hair. "This shouldn't be happening."

"Mikasa... What are you saying?"

"This shouldn't be happening, Eren. We shouldn't even be out here! We shouldn't have risked everyone's lives and lost most of them for the chance of finding a new research station! We were practically dragging half the soldiers to their deaths!" she yelled, slowly growing louder and angrier with each word.

Eren looked somberly at the many cadets who've lost their lives this day. He frowned, his lips drawing back and revealing his teeth. His whole face scrunched up as he fought back tears.

"Eren," Mikasa called.

He looked up to her as she stared out in shock.

"Hange just killed that titan..."

"What...?" Eren asked, looking over to the collapsed evaporating titan laid in front of Hange, barely standing on two feet as she panted, still holding up the blades.

Hange's clouded eyes finally allowed her blurry vision to return to her, as she collapsed from exhaustion.

"HANGE!" Armin yelled as he and Krista ran to her.

Mikasa tightened the scarf around her neck as she felt a cold chill run down her spine. The scarf that Eren gave her. The scarf that she's had seven years. The scarf she received from her adoptive brother...

At first, her having a relationship with him felt weird, especially since before she confessed her romantic feelings for him she thought he saw her as only a sister figure. However, once Eren told her he was perfectly fine with it and reciprocated the feelings, these thoughts were fully dismissed and she no longer cared if it seemed weird. albeit other people will think such, but she will ignore them too because she and Eren care very deeply for each other. And, they aren't biological siblings, so there are really no problems with them... Reproducing... Together.

Mikasa hopped off her horse, the hand she held with Eren's finally coming apart.

"Mikasa? What're you-"

He stopped his question as she walked around her horse and toward him. She reached out a hand again, a soft, though unsure, smile spreading across her face.

Eren smiled back and took her hand with a soft blush of his cheeks. He hopped off his horse and landed directly next to her.

She smiled again as she leant her head forward, the gap between them slowly closing.

"M-Mikasa!?" Eren said, flustered.

"Is this okay?"

Eren blushed madly but answered her question with fully closing the empty space between them, landing a gentle kiss on her lips.

A soft rare blush covered Mikasa's cheeks as Eren pulled away.

She wrapped her arms around Eren's neck and buried her head in the crook of his neck, mumbling; "Eren! I love you..."

Eren looked at her in surprise. That was the first time she'd said she loved him... And meant it in a romantic way...

Eren smiled and returned the gesture of the hug, wrapping his arms around her. He nuzzled into her, saying back, "I love you too."

Mikasa held him tighter in her arms, staying like that for a long while, and Eren would've loved to stay in that moment with her forever.

"Eren," Mikasa called, ending the silence of the moment.

"Yeah?"

"We should check on Hange."

"Right," he agreed, unwrapping his arms from around her body, but in turn gripping her hand in his, as they walked over to Hange, being surrounded by Armin and Krista.

The two blondes were trying their hardest to calm the shaking woman, who couldn't catch her breath.

"Hange! Are you okay!?" Eren yelled.

She looked up at him, still shaking. "They're dead. They're all dead."

Eren's face paled slightly. "Wha-what do you mean?"

"Everyone is... Dead..."

"Hange... Calm down... Everyone isn't dead," Krista soothed, surprisingly calm for the time being.

Armin was quite frazzled himself, shaking and sweating.

"Wait..." Mikasa whispered, drawing Eren and Armin's attention. "Where are Bara and Levi?"


	25. Expedition part 4

**[AN] Sorry about this update being a day late! Yesterday I was really busy, sorry! Anyhow, enjoy, and please leave a review! :)**

* * *

Bara stood with a heavy disadvantage. A titan loomed over her, appearing to want to attack. Jean was trying his hardest to manage, but he couldn't draw its attention from the meal it wanted to pursue.

She was honestly beginning to feel very scared of this monster that stared at her with a big toothy grin. Terrified in fact.

It suddenly fell forward, its forearm smashing down and landing next to Bara, causing her to have to jump out of the way. However, she completely lost her balance and fell down a small hill that was nearby, painfully rolling down it, adding more bruises to her previous injuries.

Jean had cut one of the legs of the titan, causing it to fall forward, but after that, the titan found that its prey had left, and set its sights on Jean.

Bara smacked right into a tree. She groaned loudly in pain as she attempted to move, placing her hand on the trunk of the tree and pushing herself up. She coughed up some blood as she managed to push herself up on unsteady feet threatening to give out from underneath her.

She walked forward, her hand still resting on the tree for support. She gasped slightly in surprise, seeing the raven-haired beauty laid out on the ground, very clearly injured, and she found it difficult to discern whether he was conscious or not.

"L-Levi!" she called, gaining a small twitch as a response.

She ran forward, ultimately losing her balance at the swift movement and loss of tree to lean on, though she crawled steadily toward her fallen captain.

"Levi!? Levi are you okay!?" she yelled, trying her hardest to bring her leader back to consciousness.

"Levi, Levi, Levi," she breathed, crawling over to him and ultimately sitting on him. She grabbed his shoulders and gripped them softly, shaking them to pull him back to reality.

"Levi!"

She couldn't lose him. Not when he was one of the only men, or people for that matter, that could make her smile, that she could enjoy spending time with, that she looked forward to seeing the next day, and that... She actually loved. She couldn't lose him. she wouldn't forgive herself if she did.

"Please Levi, please be okay. Please! I can't let you die! Levi!" at this point she wasn't even sure what she was saying, but she'd say anything if it meant knowing Levi was okay. In her current state of delirium, she couldn't process her thoughts enough to just slow down and check for a heartbeat. So, all she really ended up doing was shaking him like a ragdoll until he woke up. If he would...

-LINE-

Levi's body felt numb, the only thing he felt was the dull throbbing in the back of his skull. His vision swirled and faded in and out as his mind reeled with the task of keeping himself from falling into a comatose state of sleep.

He heard a loud noise echoing in the back of his head, a voice. Was it calling out to him? He couldn't tell, but it startled him eliciting the only movement his body could currently muster. A small twitch that was hard to notice.

He heard more noises, though they were hard to hear through the loud noises of rumbling titan feet and the blood rushing through his head.

Though, all those noises seemed to drown out. Being drowned out by one specific noise. His name. He could hear someone calling out his name. His eyes fluttered open, and he stared at the trees above.

The branches intertwined and fit together, creating a ceiling that blocked one's view to the sky and sun, and effectively making them feel as though they were no longer a part of the outside world, making one feel dangerously isolated.

He felt something surprisingly warm all over his previously cold body, something that felt comforting. He heard the voice from earlier calling out to him again. The voice suddenly sounded strikingly familiar. A voice he wanted to answer. They sounded distraught and scared, he only wished he could respond.

* * *

Bara leaned over to look at him, look into his eyes that were barely open. His eyes looked unfocused and glassy. Like they weren't real. She became far more worried than before and shook his shoulders a little more.

"Levi! Levi! Please wake up! Please don't die!"

She shook him a little more, his mind finally jarring back into reality.

"Kami, Kami! I-I'm alive, I'm fine!" he yelled, his voice sounding far more distraught and broken than he would've preferred, as he jerked up.

Tears immediately came to Bara's eyes, overwhelmed with the fear she just exhibited to the juxtaposing feeling of relief that currently swarmed her body. She threw herself forward and wrapped her arms around Levi's neck, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

"Levi! Levi, you're okay!"

Levi was suddenly dumbstruck, his body frozen as his mind momentarily stopped thinking. Only when Bara pulled back from the hug did his cognitive function return to him.

"W-wait... You-you are okay... Right?" she asked, slowly and warily.

Levi nodded slightly but was too focused on her injured arm. "A-are you!?"

"Yes I-I'm fine, but you-"

"No, you're not..." he whispered, worry lacing his voice, as he attempted to reach over, with his left hand. He could only manage to get his left hand elevated just enough to hover over his midsection as he reached out for her arm, but flinched and stopped, intense pain shooting throughout his arm.

He yelped in a surprisingly high pitched tone as his arm fell back to his side.

"Levi! What happened!?"

"Tch, don't worry about me so much brat! What about yourself!?"

She blushed just slightly but her scolding didn't falter. "What happened to your arm!?"

Levi really hadn't noticed until that moment, but his arm was definitely not okay.

"Oh shit," he whispered. "It's dislocated," he added with a bit of a sigh.

"Levi! I-it's dislocated!?"

"Yes, that's what I just said," Levi spat.

Bara disregarded that comment saying; "Levi, Levi that needs fixing."

"You think I don't fricking know that!?"

Bara sighed slightly, it wasn't annoyed, or exasperated, and Levi couldn't pin the emotion behind it. He frowned and looked away, suddenly not being able to look her in the eye.

"What happened to Kirstein," he demanded.

"Oh! Shit! I forgot!"

"Tch, idiot," Levi mumbled as he attempted to push himself up, using only his right hand. "Crap!" He yelled as he fell back to the ground on his ass with a painful thud.

Bara sighed. "Here," she offered, extending her hand to help him up.

"Thanks," Levi muttered as he barely managed to pull himself up with his right hand.

When he wobbled on his feet Bara immediately got worried. "L-Levi! Are you okay!?"

Levi's eyes closed shut, his hand rubbing his temples. His whole world was spinning and felt like he would fall off his feet. His eyes opened slowly and were met with the blurry earth, seemingly moving around him, until it really was moving around him. In less than a second, Levi felt rushing wind past his ears. His eyes instinctively closed shut, but suddenly, the cold rushing air was replaced by a warmth fully engulfing him.

He heard quiet breathing that wasn't his own and felt warm arms around him. He opened his eyes, seeing a rustle of chocolate brown locks in his face, and a familiarly pleasant scent. "B-Bara..." he whispered, flustered. Bara's head lifted to look him in the eyes. She was so close her nose brushed Levi's upon lifting her head. That only served to make his face redder as she practically stared at his soul through his eyes.

Levi's eyes widened as he realized Bara was crying. Not subtly widening, like usual. Not slightly surprised for a normal person. Very surprised, even for a normal person who doesn't hide their emotions. A tear dripped down Bara's cheek as she stared into Levi's blue-grey eyes, which were starting to look a brighter blue. Levi's eyes flashed with worry as he moved his hand toward her cheek. She sniffled slightly as she tightened her arms around him. Only then did Levi realize that he was hardly even standing, in fact, he wasn't. His heels were very loosely laying against the ground, his body being supported by Bara's arms. He was slightly surprised to see that Bara could hold up his weight, but then again, he shouldn't have been. She's a strong girl.

"L-Levi...! Are... Are you okay...?" She asked, her tone getting surprisingly soft. Levi couldn't answer. He couldn't get his brain to do anything. All he wanted to do was kiss her. He used logic to reason himself a way to kissing her. With the strong emotion she's exhibiting -the worrying, the crying- she must love him... Right? He has nothing to worry about... Unless... No... It was too risky. He couldn't. But...

"Levi," she broke his thought process with her beckoning. "We... We should check on Jean..."

Levi nodded slowly as he moved his feet that felt like led to support his own weight. Bara's arms were about to unravel themselves from being tightly wound around Levi's chest when he grabbed her wrist with his hand.

"Wait," he started. "Please," it was so close to a plea. "D-don't leave... Don't let go..."

Bara nodded. "Don't worry, I won't leave. I'll stay right here. I'll hold on to you."

Levi told himself that he needed the physical support to help him stay up -in fact, he was surprised at how well Bara was managing herself- but he also needed the emotional support.

Just knowing that she was there helped exponentially. She moved Levi to her left side and held him up with her arm under his armpit. They walked up the hill Bara had rolled down and the forest cleared just slightly, the trees thinning as they were able to see the sun more and more.

-line-

"Ah, shit, shit, shit!" Jean shouted as he swung away from yet another attack from the opposing titan. "A LITTLE HELP!?" he screamed in the general direction or Eren, Mikasa, Krista, Armin and Hange.

Mikasa and Eren jumped slightly and turned. "Armin, Krista, can you handle her on your own?" Mikasa asked as she held her outstretched arm toward Eren.

" We've gotta go," Eren whispered, his fingers intertwining with Mikasa's and wrapping around her hand. "Now," he added, tightening his grip of Mikasa's hand.

Armin gave a strong nod, Krista yelling "Give 'em hell!"

"Let's go," Mikasa whispered, Eren nodding in response.

"GUYS!" Jean yelled as he was nearly swatted out of the sky by the titan's arm.

"WE'RE COMING!" Eren shouted as he had to let go of Mikasa's hand to deploy a 3DMG anchor. Mikasa followed suit and shot into the air with a burst of gas along with Eren. They slashed along juxtaposing arms, managing to catch the titan off guard as it didn't know they were there.

"Thank god," Jean muttered.

"Where's captain and Bara?" Eren shouted.

Jean's eyes widened in shock. "Sh-shit," he whispered.

"Eren! Look for them!" Mikasa shouted.

"Will do!" Eren swung over to a tree branch.

"They were over there, I think!" Jean shouted, pointing to a small clearing.

"Right!" Eren confirmed as he jumps to the opening, avoiding the relentless titan as Mikasa and Jean attack it.

"Jean, watch out!" Mikasa shouted all too late.

Jean screamed as he was flung away, the titan having shrugged off the anchor embedded in its shoulder. Jean tried to shoot the anchor into a nearby tree, but it didn't work right. He somehow got himself tangled. "Shit shit shit shit shit!" Mikasa yelled as she swung toward the titan. The titan turned to her as Jean struggled to get the wire unraveled from around his leg.

Mikasa slashed across the arm and chest of the titan, then going down it stomach, and to its legs. She swung around its leg from an anchor embedded in its ankle and slices it's Achilles, sending it down. Suddenly, as the titan fell, she heard a shrill shout. She looked up to see a blond slicing the nape of the titan. "Armin," she whispered.

-line-

Eren ran fast along the edge of the trees, until he saw Bara and Levi, struggling to stand.

"Sir! Bara!" he shouted, running to them. "Are-are you okay!?" he asked in distress.

"Do we look okay!?" they yelled in tandem.

"Right. Sorry, sorry," he mumbles, walking over to help them. He stood on Levi's left side and supported him from there, using the same hold as Bara.

Bara looked over to Eren, smiling weakly. "Hey..." she whispered. "You came... Someone came..." Eren smiled back.

Bara's slight smile disappeared as she whispers "What happened to Jean?"

Eren gulped. "Uh, I-I don't know. Mikasa was out there with him, and they were trying to take down the titan..."

Bara worried at her bottom her bottom lip between her teeth but continued walking on. They came to the edge of the trees and saw the evaporating titan.

"... A-Armin!?" Levi shouted as he saw the blond boy wielding bloody blades, his shoulders heaving with his heavy breaths.

Armin looked over to the three, his face lightening as he sheathed his blades. "Bara! Sir! Are you okay?"

Bara shook her head as Levi just glared. At that point, he was getting annoyed with that question.

"Where's Hange?" Eren asked. "Is she still with Krista?" Bara looked up to Eren in confusion.

"Wait, where's Jean? And Mikasa?" Bara asked.

"Over here!" Mikasa shouted from behind a tree, bringing Jean and herself out from behind it.

"Are you okay?" she asked Jean. He nodded. "Yeah, fine, thanks." They both walked to the group, but upon reaching them, they were all startled by a shrill shout belonging to none other than the blonde angel herself.


	26. Expedition part 5

**[AN] Hello, hello! I'm back with another weekly update! The next chapter will be longer, and a little light-hearted, much like this one, while still dealing with serious subjects. Don't worry, the next chapter won't be all fluffy unicorns, but it'll be a little happier than most of them. Also, some HUGE news will be revealed within the next few chapters, so prepare your socks, because they're most definitely about to be blown off.**

 **Anyhow, enjoy the chapter and please leave a review! :3**

* * *

"AAHH!" Krista screamed shrilly as she backed away, holding her hands up.

Hange walked toward her with a chunk of blade in her hand, pointing the sharp object at the horrified young blonde.

"Krista!" Eren, Armin, Jean and Mikasa all shouted in unison.

"Eren, you got him?" Bara whispered, pulling Levi up more.

Levi hissed in pain as Eren spoke. "Hm? Oh, yeah."

Bara nodded and carefully unwrapped her arm from around Levi's chest.

Bara ran in the direction of the shouts.

"N-no! B-back away! Leave! I don't need you! I don't want you!" Hange all but screamed, tears streaming down her face.

"Hange!" Bara screamed from twenty yards away, still trying to get to them before Hange did something bad.

"Hange, what're you doing!?" She shouted.

She slowed down to a walk as she huffed, taking the trembling hands of the tall brunette into her own.

"Hange, calm down," she said in a softer tone. Hange sobbed loudly, her head falling into Bara's chest. Her grip released and the chunk of blade fell to the ground, shattering into smaller pieces.

Krista was still breathing heavily as the others came up to them.

"K-Krista, are you okay?" Armin asked, walking over to her.

She jumped toward the blond, her arms wrapping around his back as she buried her face in his chest.

"O-oh...!" Armin mumbled, wrapping his arms around her in turn.

Tears dripped down Krista's soft cheeks as she nestled her head onto Armin's shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Armin asked softly.

Krista shook her head.

"Wha-what's wrong with Hange?" She whispered with a broken voice, turning her head slightly to look at Bara.

"She's gone into shock," She whispered, soothing Hange and holding her close. "She doesn't know what she's doing."

"She seems to have calmed down now, though," Levi added, approaching from behind her with Eren keeping him standing.

"Yeah," She murmured. "Hange? Hange? Are you okay?"

Hange sniffled, looking up at Bara through her foggy glasses. "I-I'm sorry-I-"

"Shh," Bara hushed, helping Hange stand. "It's okay," she soothed.

"Guys!" Jean called from behind them. "We should hurry up and figure out where we'll be staying. If we're out here in the open too much longer, a titan's sure to find us again. Plus, it's soon to be nightfall."

Bara nodded, agreeing with Jean.

"Levi?" she asked. He hummed, looking at her. "Where do you want to go?"

He stayed silent for a moment, glancing around at all the people staring at him, waiting on him, counting on him. It left a sudden weight on his shoulders, making his chest feel tight.

"Uhm, Wh-what do you think?"

Bara shrugged, saying, "I don't know... Armin, where's your map?"

The blond's head popped up from being nestled in Krista's shoulder, to spin around, staring at Bara wide-eyed.

"What?" He asked in a surprised tone.

"Armin, where's your map?" She asked softly.

"Oh," He muttered, seemingly calmer.

"Krista," He whispered, looking down at the blonde angel. "Will you be okay by yourself? I just have to go to the horses..."

Krista nodded, though her grip on his arm didn't loosen.

"It's in my horse's satchel," He said, now directing his statement to the group.

Bara nodded and said, "Get it, please, I want to figure out where we are."

Armin nodded and took a light jog to the horses nearby.

"If you can manage to figure where we are," Levi started, stepping closer to Bara. "Where do you plan on going?"

Bara ponders for a moment, before saying, "Well, depending on how close the abandoned castle that we were supposed to go to is, we might be able to get there before sundown. If not, we would just have to search for refuge around here. Maybe in a cave, or the like."

Levi was about to say something, before Armin came running up, saying, "Here, the map."

Bara nodded and smiled, taking the map gently from his hands. As soon as the paper navigation device was taken from his hands, Krista immediately replaced it, jumping into Armin's arms. "K-Krista!"

"Yo, where the heck are we..." Bara mumbled, looking everything over. Levi walked over, pointing somewhere approximately thirty miles southeast of the castle they were headed for. "Ah, that looks close enough... We should be able to make it there by sundown, with at least thirty minutes to spare." Levi nodded. "Okay, we'll be-"

"Wait," Bara interrupted.

"Uh, what is it?" Levi asked.

"Here," Bara mumbled, handing him the map. "Wait here, I'll be back in a sec," She added, walking over to Jean. "Yo, lover-boy, got enough energy to carry two people up a tree?"

For a moment he just stares at her and blinks. "Uh... Yeah?"

* * *

"So, why are we doing this again?" Jean asked with strain.

"To see the castle!" Bara announced as she pointed to the tree above. Jean bounded up, slowly reeling in the line, with an anchor attached at the top of the tree. "Faster!" She shouted, wrapping her arms tighter around Jean's neck.

"Ack! Calm down, okay." But, Bara didn't have enough patience. She kicked her legs, her heels knocking against the gas tanks of Jean's 3DMG, threatening to dislodge them.

"Hey! Careful, careful! Okay, I'm going!" With that, a quick burst of gas sent them flinging far above the crest of the tree's leaves.

"Wow...!" Bara mumbled, gaping in awe at the now visible horizon.

"There it is!" She shouted, pointing at a distant object.

They swung down, Jean landed surprisingly softly for having twice the weight he would normally have.

"Well?" Levi asked.

"I saw it! Bara practically squealed.

"Great, let's get moving."

"Wait," Bara started. "How're you going to ride?"

Levi stared at her a moment. "What do you mean?"

"Well, with your arm, and other numerous injuries, how are you going to steer your horse?"

"Oh... I don't know, but- Wait, what about you?"

"Hmm? Well, I'm feeling okay. I have a little more energy, and I can stand on my own."

"Well, I guess the best idea would be for me to share someone else's horse."

Subconsciously, Levi hoped it'd be Bara. Any chance to get closer to her was appealing to him, so of course, when she offered, his heart practically soared. "Yeah, sure, I guess that'd work," He responded with lackluster enthusiasm. Even if he was feeling that way, he couldn't show it.

Bara acted just like Levi, keeping up a facade, not showing her true feelings to the other. It pained her to do so, not being truthful with the one she loves and trusts so deeply. Levi felt just the same, and yet, neither one could bring up the strength to confront the other, too scared of the possible outcome, or thinking of the inappropriateness of it for a captain to be in a relationship with a cadet.

Levi jumped onto Bara's horse, sitting behind her. Already feeling awkward, He mumbled, "All upper-body strength..." as Bara whipped the reins. Uma slowly sped up, from a trot to a full on run, before Bara responded with a light dusting of pink on her cheeks, "Yup..."


	27. Expedition part 6

**[AN] Sorry about the update being a day late! My beta reader RoryThePotato sent the beta'd chapter, but I didn't receive it! She had to send it again, and I only just got it today!**

 **Anyhow, we're about one or two chapters away from a HUGE plot point. It will change EVERYTHING. Also, this chapter's gonna be a bit bumpy... Enjoy!**

 **Please leave a review! :3**

* * *

Levi was reluctant to wrap his arms around Bara, but even when the ride got suddenly bumpy, and Bara gave him verbal confirmation that he should hold on, he still wanted nothing to do with that. He already felt awkward, no doubt because of how close he was to Bara. If he wrapped his arms around her, it'd feel like a hug. A really bumpy, moving hug, but a hug nevertheless.

When Uma has to jump over a log, and Levi practically flings out of his seat, Bara scolded him, saying, "Levi! You're going to add salt (Or dirt, rather) to the wound! Just hold on!" Levi was hesitant for a moment, before conceding and grabbing a hold, loosely wrapping his arms around her stomach. He felt the muscles tighten under his touch, as his chest leaned forward against her back. He felt the shiver roll down her spine.

"Is this okay?" He asks in a monotone, though Bara can tell he's mocking her, because the jerk always knows when she's embarrassed, or nervous, or scared, or anxious, or angry, or sad, or whatever.

"Y-yeah," She mumbled, flustered and nervous.

Levi chuckled, and she felt the bouncing of his shoulders and chest against her back, and it made her feel uncomfortable. She whined. "Uah! Shut up! You know I'm embarrassed..."

"Hey, this is your superior you're talking to," Levi said, albeit chuckling.

Bara pouted. "I don't care..."

Levi's grip around her stomach tightened exponentially as she adjusted the direction in which Uma was heading. "Agh! Agh!" She screeched.

"Well, maybe I care," Levi mumbled, placing his ear against her back. Bara had to fight off the arch that her back wanted to make.

Levi could hear the increase in heart rate with his ear right against her back. What he said was not just meant for her talking back, he couldn't care less if she did that. It was an analogy for the fact that he cared very deeply for her, and he just wished she knew, he just wished he could tell her that.

Images of a heart-wrenching incident plagued his mind, she attempted suicide. What if she did that again? What if someone didn't find her next time? What if she died by some unfortunate accident before he could ever tell her? These questions riddled his mind with more anxiety than he already had. He couldn't tell her while on a mission, so he promised himself he'd tell her when they got back. If they got back.

The rest of the ride was slightly more comfortable for the two, and they could see their destination was not far from where they were. "Levi sa, look!" Bara cheered excitedly.

"Huh? Wuh?" He asked groggily, lifting his head. He'd kind of zoned out during the whole ride, just finding himself really comfortable. "What?"

"Look!" She shouted again, pointing at the distant castle.

He looked up and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Oh? We found it?"

Bara nodded. "Uh huh!"

Levi smirked. "And where was it? Exactly where I said it was? That's what I thought."

Bara chuckled softly. "We'll be there in... ten, twenty minutes," Bara estimated.

Levi shrugged. "Okay, all's the same for me as long as we get there before nightfall."

Bara nodded. "We'll definitely be there before nightfall, but I'm not so sure if we'll have enough time to set up camp before then." Levi sighed softly.

"Well, we'll just wait and see, eh?"

Bara looked off to the forest to their left. "Yeah..."

* * *

"Oi, brats! Hurry it up!" Levi shouted ushering the cadets to hurry as they tried, (and most of them failed,) to set their tents. Bara was still standing beside Levi, looking among the numerous tents that had set up in record time, the sun already down and the sanctum of light fading with every passing moment. They had all the tents inside the castle, but the danger still posed a threat.

Bara walked over to Hange, who seemed more in control, at least in comparison to earliest breakdown. "Hey, Hange, how are you?"

She sighed. "Uhm... Okay... I'm still not feeling so good... But..."

Bara nodded. "Yeah..."

Bara looked around as cadets found their sleeping quadrants, awkwardly walked through lines of tents with low-lighting or idly chatted away with their comrades. "So," Bara started, deciding to spark up a conversation. "Do you think this castle has any connection with Utgard?"

Hange hummed. "Ah, well... We think it might've been built by the same people, at around the same time, but we're not exactly sure. We don't know what purpose it serves or why it's out here."

Bara nods. "So, I guess you'll be doing research on it, and Eren?"

Hange smiled faintly. "Yeah, I guess." Behind them, there is a thud, sounding like bricks hitting the ground. Hange gasps as Bara twisted around.

"LEVI!" She shouts as she runs to his side on the floor. "Levi! Levi! Are you okay!?" she yells, holding his arm gently.

"Ah, Kami... I'm fine... I just... Lost my balance," He muttered, attempting to push himself up but failing.

"Bullshit you're fine," She says sternly, pulling him to his feet with surprising ease. "You're NOT fine. Stop passing off this lie. I can see that you're most definitely not fine. And what about your arm? Still dislocated?" Levi's face turns bleak as he realizes she's right.

"Fine... I'm not okay... Happy now?"

Bara huffs. "Yes, I'm happy, now, prepare for a little pain," She says, lifting the arm she was still holding.

Levi winced. "W-wait, no-"

She abruptly pushed the joint back into the socket, causing Levi to let out a broken shout of pain. He gritted his teeth as his arm fell back to his side.

He sighed as he rotated his arm, testing it out.

"Sorry, but I think the best way is to rip it off like a bandage." Bara murmured.

"Why do you want to rip off my arm," Levi deadpanned, the pain evident in voice from earlier completely gone now.

"Ugh, don't take things so literally,"

Levi smirked as he dropped his arm to his side, satisfied with seeing that the appendage worked as needed.

"Oh!" Hange muttered. "I almost forgot, I gotta get the titan serum!"

Levi groaned. "Ugh, I don't want your titan juice pumped in me."

Bara made a noise of disgust. "Levi, that sounds really wrong."

Levi just glared at her with a blank expression as Bara stifled back her laughter, Levi doing the same, but just a better job of it.

Hange walked away, chuckling, to grab her first-aid kit.

* * *

As expected, Levi was completely unfazed when Hange pulled out the large needle with the orange-ish liquid. However, what the stone-faced man didn't see was Bara's reaction. Her muscles got stiff and her heart beat increased as Hange moved toward her and Levi.

Levi showed no reaction indicating pain as the needle stuck his arm and the healing liquid was injected inside. Not much, but it still scared the crap out of Bara.

"You turn," Levi said, stoic as ever, but he didn't realize how utterly terrified she was until he turned around.

"Bara?" he asked when he saw her face. "Are... Are you alright?"

She shook her head quickly, stepping away when Levi moved toward her. "No, n-no... No no no no no. No needles... I- I don't... Just... No..." She trailed off, shaking her head.

"Bara, you need this. You're injured," Hange said.

Bara shook her head. "N-no, I'm fine, really, I'm not hurt."

Levi grabbed her arm roughly and lifted it, examining the dried blood and lacerations on it. "This is fine?"

Bara growled as she tugged her arm away. "I'm FINE."

Levi scoffed. "And you say I'M full of bullshit..."

"Bara, please, just-" Hange started, approaching her slowly, but Bara cut her off.

"No! Don't come anywhere near me with that!"

Levi suddenly became very worried. She's a fearless warrior, but she's scared of a little needle? She faces giant man-eating beasts all day and lives, but is terrified of being poked with a syringe full of healing medicine? It doesn't make any sense, Levi thought. "Bara, calm down, it doesn't hurt-"

"I don't give a damn if it hurts or not!" She yelped, hopping backward. Levi grabs her arm to keep her from moving.

"Then what're you so scared of?" He asks in an uncharacteristically soft tone.

"I'm not scared," She growls. Levi's grip on her arm tightens as he says,

"You're shaking, you're sweating, you're screaming at us not to prick you with a little needle, and your pupils are dilated. Not to mention your breathing is unstable, and your pulse is almost at dangerous heights."

Bara shook her head, saying within a broken whimper, "N-no, p-please..." Levi loosened his grip on her wrist and gently placed his other hand on her shoulder.

"Bara, please, calm down. What's wrong?"

She sniffled as tears burned the corners of her eyes. "I don't want to talk about it," She whimpered, her head falling forward onto his shoulder as tears fell from her eyes and down her cheeks.

"It's okay, just calm down, it's okay," Levi soothed, holding her close and rubbing her back. As soon as Levi realized what he was doing -tightly embracing his crush, to put it bluntly- his face turned a very bright shade of pink, though his body didn't move a muscle. It felt so good, so surprisingly good, just to hug her. To be so close to her, to feel her in his arms.

He heard her breathing return to somewhat of a normal pace as her crying died down, but didn't remove his arms from around her. He could still feel her shaking, shivering, with fear. Bara's hands gripped his shoulders.

"Levi," She whispered. The sound of her voice sent shivers down his spine. "Please, don't make me do this, please," She all but begged.

He turned his head to the side, his cheek softly brushing hers and his lips unbearably close to her skin. "Bara, what are you so scared of? Please, I can't help you if you don't tell me."

Bara pouted, seemingly back to her old self again, saying, "I don't want to talk about it... But... I'm scared of needles."

Levi was slightly surprised by that. Afraid of needles? But, why? He thought, looking at her. "Why?" He asked softly.

She sighed, pushing softly against his shoulders she stood upright again, and said, "I don't want to talk about it, it brings back unpleasant memories..." She looked off to the side as Levi tried to look into her eyes.

"It's okay. You'll be okay. I'll be right here, nothing's going to happen to you," Levi assured softly. Bara's eyes widened just slightly as a pink blush sprawled across her cheeks. She bit her lip as her eyes drifted slowly back to Levi's face. He had a slight blush on his cheeks with a serious look on his face, the emotion behind his eyes was like Bara's never seen before.

"O-okay..." She whispered. "As long as you promise to stay right here." Saying that made Bara's blush take a shade deeper, but made her feel... Good. Levi's heart soared as he nodded. "Of course. I promise."

* * *

Something Bara never would've expected Levi to do, happened, as she was in her terrified state. She didn't want to stand, she was afraid she'd try to kick or run, y'know, instincts taking hold, so, Levi opted for sitting on the dirty, dusty floor with her. She kind of looked at him like he was an alien as he sat beside her.

"What?" He asked softly.

"Well... It's just... You're sitting on the floor... The dirty floor..."

Levi stared at her a moment, before shrugging. "So?"

She shook her head. "Never mind, Hange, just get it over with."

The brunette scientist nodded, her greasy, messy ponytail bobbing with her head. Hange knelt down in front of the two, holding the needle close to Bara. Levi felt her tense and brought his hand to her's, Bara instantly latching their fingers together and squeezing tightly.

Her breathing hitched, her heart was hammering in her chest, her skin was clammy, her face was pale. She was horrified, and she felt like she was going to hyperventilate. "Calm down," Levi soothed, sporting an unusually calm, quiet, sweet and soothing voice. His ears turned red when he realized that he was holding Bara's hand, but he ignored that as he comforted her.

She closed her eyes and turned away, whimpering.

"Bara, Bara, look at me," Levi called gently. Her eyes fluttered open, meeting his intense blue-gray gaze.

"It's already over," he said with a light chuckle. She turned her head to look at Hange. The woman had a large grin adorned on her face. "See how easy that was, sweetie?" She said it softly, but the usual cheery nature of the scientist shined through her voice.

Bara smile weakly, laughing dryly. "See? That wasn't so bad," Levi whispered, his hand still holding hers.

Bara's laugh grew in volume, but it wasn't a real laugh. She wasn't amused with anything. the truth is, she was laughing to fill the emptiness and to keep from crying.

Her ultimatum failed, her laugh slowly fading into a *pule until she was crying so hard her entire body was shaking with every sob. She fell forward onto Levi's chest, her head buried and her hands gripping his shoulders tightly.

Levi's chest tightened. The sight of her crying... It made his heart hurt. He wrapped his arms around her, trying his best to soothe her. She only seemed to cry louder as he slowly rocked her back and forth, whispering sweet nothings.

He wondered in that moment if telling her he loved her would make her feel better.

* * *

*cry in a petulant or whining manner; weakly.

 **[AN] THANK YOU FOR READING!**


	28. Of course

**[AN] So sorry for this being late! I lost everything I'd had written so many times that for a while I didn't feel like writing, so this is really really late, but, in a few more chapters, the HUGE secret will be revealed. Sorry for the extended wait, though, I really am.**

* * *

"Bara, Are you alright?"

It had probably been thirty minutes, and Levi hadn't spoken a word until then. He simply sat there, holding her close, comforting her. Even when she'd stopped crying.

She nodded slowly, leaning back on the balls of her feet and sniffling slightly.

"Y-yeah…"

She wiped her dripping nose with the rough sleeve of her jacket, still sniffling.

"Here," Levi said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a white handkerchief, his name embroidered on the bottom right corner in an elegant cursive font.

He handed her the handkerchief and she took it gratefully, smiling. She wiped her wet cheeks with it, unable to pry her eyes off him while doing so.

"Here," She said, handing the soft tissue back.

Levi smiled gently at her. "Keep it."

Bara smiled warmly. "Thank you," She muttered.

"Of course," He responded.

She shook her head."No, thank you for everything. If it wasn't for you… I… I probably wouldn't be alive right now. So… Thank you," She said, leaning forward again and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Of course," He muttered again, placing his hand on the small of her back.

She leaned back again, and, just before sitting up properly, gave him a quick peck on the cheek. His eyes widened subtly and his face turned pink with a barely-there blush. His ears were very red, though.

Secretly, so that she didn't have to look at Levi right away, she stood and turned around, looking out at the many cadets now hunkering down in their shared tents. Pairing with their usual barrack mates. Armin with Krista, Mikasa with Eren, Connie with Sasha, and Jean standing all on his own.

Her eyes locked with his, and for a short moment, she smiled.

"Levi, goodnight. I'm pretty tired, and everyone already seems to be going to bed, so, I'll see you in the morning."

Levi stood just as Bara began to walk toward Jean. She got in two steps before her wrist was grabbed.

"Where do you think you're going?" Levi asked.

"To bed?" Bara responded with uncertainty.

"Well, you're going the wrong way." For a moment, Bara was confused. "My tent is that way," He said, pointing behind his back.

She was still confused. "So?"

Levi smirked. "You're sleeping with me."

Bara almost jumped with surprise, her face turning bright red. "What!? No one told me about this!"

Levi chuckled. "What? Is it that bad?"

She blushed harder and mumbled faintly. "Well... No… It's just… I would've liked to have known…"

"Sorry," Levi said genuinely. "I didn't learn about this until just now, so I was just as surprised and unprepared as you."

She nodded, now fully facing him. For a brief moment, they stood there, staring at each other, entranced by the other's eyes. That is until Bara realized Levi was still holding her wrist.

"Uh…" She mumbled, lifting her arm, and Levi's hand with it.

Levi blushed upon realizing he still had a hold on her wrist but played it off by saying, "C'mon, let's go, I'll show you to the tent," as he turned around.

"Um… Okay," She mumbled as she was tugged along by Levi's hand on her wrist.

-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-

"So, how is this going to work?"

"What do you mean?" Levi asked with confusion as he shifted on his cot.

"I mean…" Bara started again. "How am I going to… Well… I don't usually sleep in my uniform…"

"Oh, well, why didn't you just say that? I'll wait outside for you to change," He said as he stood.

Bara nodded. "Thanks," She said.

"No problem," He responded.

Bara smiled softly.

-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-

Levi sighed as he looked at the sky. "It's probably been about thirty minutes… What is she doing in there?"

He thought about that statement for a moment, before blushing slightly and saying, "Y'know what, I don't want to know."

"Bara," He called as he opened the tent. Upon walking in, he saw Bara splayed out on her cot to the left side of the tent, her blanket barely covering her body only clothed in undergarments. If Levi's face wasn't already red, it was now.

Her right hand gripped the sheets as her left hand held Levi's handkerchief above her head on the pillow.

Levi's face turned bright red as he averted his eyes, looking off to the side in an uncomfortable position. He wasn't sure what to do… He didn't want to… He couldn't just…

He took his cape off his shoulders and bent down, placing it gently over her body. For a moment he stood, he looked at her delicate, peaceful, sleeping face. Though… She began to look less peaceful as he stared at her. Her brows lowering and creasing, her nose scrunching and her mouth turning into a frown.

He didn't think anything of it. He simply removed his jacket and 3DMG straps, arranging them neatly beside the surprising neat stack of Bara's clothes. He didn't remember laying in bed much, he just remembered lying his head on the pillow and staring at Bara's face for a few more moments… And then… Sleep.

-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-

A young girl ran across a stone path in a very dark village, stone houses and dingy alleyways around every corner.

She ran down a set of stone stairs and turned a corner down an alley. She looked behind herself, seeing the man she was running from slowly gaining ground as she began to lose steam.

Her feet hit the ground hard, her cheap shoes doing nothing to protect her. Her arms swung beside her as she ran, doing nothing to help her go faster.

She passed her friend- Ran's house, and fear struck chords through her body when her friend's bright blue eyes peered out through her window and immediately brightened with happiness.

Ran's bright blue eyes widened in a horrified shock as she saw the man chasing her from behind, a needle in hand, and only a few yards away from her.

"BARA," The man gruffly shouted, making her almost trip.

Bara turned another corner, knowing exactly where she wanted to go. She thought… No… She knew she had to get there.

"There's nothing to be scared of, sweetie," he ground the word out like it was an insult to her, which it was.

Her destination was in sight, her drive returning, she ran faster.

A huge tree grew in a giant meadow. It was beautiful and peaceful. Surreal as it seemed to be a safe haven for her.

"BARA, STOP!"

This time she tripped over herself and landed tumbling into the grass, her arm hitting a few roots of the tree.

She immediately propped herself up on her arms.

"The soul tree," she whispered. "Where all the lost souls go to rest."

Her father was quickly gaining behind her, very close already.

"Grandma will surely keep me safe," she whispered to herself, placing a hand on the cool base of the tree. "I know she will."

Her father was now standing directly behind her.

"Bara, you shouldn't have done that. Now you've made your father very angry at you."

She faced away from him, but could hear the venom in his voice, and could tell that he was sneering.

Before she realized it, she was being forced into the ground, a needle being pushed against the crook of her elbow. She screamed in pain when the needle pierced her skin.

Her cheeks were wet with tears, her arm was bleeding and something mysterious was injected into her arm.

Her vision was fuzzy as she watched her father stand in front of her.

"That wasn't so hard, now, was it? Bara."

"Bara, Bara! Bara! Bara!"

Bara shouted and sobbed as her eyes snap open. She saw Levi sitting beside her bed, a worried expression painted his face as he held her arm.

"Bara," He started, sounding relieved. "You were yelling in your sleep… and… Crying?" He said, gently placing a hand on her cheek and wiping away the tears with his thumb.

She looked away. "S-sorry…"

Levi shook his head. "Don't apologize, I've already told you, you don't have to apologize for everything," He said softly, pulling her gently into a hug which she melted into.

Once again, she lost herself in her emotions, her mind swirling with thought, fears. Her heart calmed, her breath returned to normal, but her mind raced with memories and things she didn't want to think about.

"Levi," She whispered after a while.

"Yes?"

"Where are my clothes?"

His face turned a bright shade of red.

"Uh… Y-you weren't wearing any when you went to bed…"

Now it was Bara's turn to blush. "Oh… I… Sorry. That's how I usually sleep, or, used to. I can't now with Jean in my room."

Levi nodded slightly.

"So, can I go out?" She asked.

"Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't you be able to?"

She looked down and blushed. "I meant… With you…"

Levi nods. "Yeah, we can."

-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-

Now wearing her white uniform pants and Levi's cape, (She was too lazy to put on a shirt,) Bara joined Levi outside the tent.

"It's beautiful."

"What is?" She asked, now standing just beside him.

He turned his head, looking at her as she looked back at him. 'You,' He thought but refrained from saying so.

"The sky," He said, pointing off to where the sun was rising over the horizon.

"Yeah, it is…"

They stood in relative silence, staring over the trees and seeing the sun climb up the sky.

"It's cold…" Bara whispered.

"Yeah, well, maybe you should've worn a shirt," Levi responded.

"Shut up," Bara whined, slapped his forearm, and then returned that hand to cross stiffly with her arms.

"Here," Levi said with a fake sigh, pulling his jacket off his shoulders and putting it on hers.

She blushed harder, saying, "O-oh… Th-thank you, Levi…"

"Of course," He said.


	29. Tell me what you're thinking

**[AN] Heeeyyyy guuyyys... Sorry, My beta reader went awol so this isn't beta'd, sorry if there are grammatical or spelling errors, or it just sucks.**

 **Anyhow, thanks for reading. :3**

* * *

"Hey!" Bara calls as she runs out of the tent, her 3DMG straps now on as she catches up with Levi.

"Levi! Wait!" she whines.

Levi smirks as he stands still for Bara to catch up. When she's standing beside him she huffs. "You couldn't wait?"

He shrugs. "You couldn't go faster?"

"Touché," she mutters as they begin to walk.

* * *

"Watch it!" Levi calls as Bara's grapple dislodging nearly causes her to fall.

"Shoot!" she shouts, being forced to launch another grapple and swing up safely to the tree branch Levi is on.

"That was close," Levi said.

"Too close. This training is hard."

"It's not as easy as you thought, eh?" Levi asked, shooting off with one grappling hook after.

Bara sighs. "Not at all," she whispers when he's out of earshot, following behind him with two grapples.

"Giving up?" Levi asked as Bara caught up with him. "Not at all, I have a proposition." Levi cocks his head. "A proposition? What of?"

Bara smiles. "I'm proposing a race."

"Oh?" Levi responds.

"Yeah," she says with a nod.

"One grapple?"

"Of course," Bara smiles again.

Levi smirks. "Have fun."

"Oh, I will. This will make training fun!"

"Oh, but remember," Levi starts, shooting out another grapple. "It's still training."

"True."

He smirks as he shouts, "GO." and shoots out a grapple and a burst of gas.

"Hey!" Bara shouts. "That wasn't fair! I wasn't ready!"

She bursts forward with a bit of gas and launches one grapple into a tree, swinging around it instead of in front of it.

"Shoot!" she shouts, aggravated with her lack of practice.

* * *

"She'd better catch up," Levi smirks, noticing that Bara is nowhere to be found. Suddenly, a thought strikes him. He lands on the nearest suitable branch and turns around, looking out behind him.

"Where is she? Shouldn't she at least be nearby?"

He sighs, going in the opposite direction from which he was originally going and moves backward, searching for the brunette racer.

"Bara!" He shouts, looking around. "Hey! Bara! Where are you?" He says the last part quieter. He glances down, noticing a figure.

He lands softly on the ground about ten yards behind Bara.

"Bara," he calls, walking toward her.

Bara hums, turning around and looking behind herself. "Levi?"

"What're you doing here?" he asks.

"Oh, sorry," she says with a nervous laugh. I forgot about the race…"

Levi sighs. "So what have you been doing here for so long?"

Bara looks over to the field and river she stood next to.

"Oh," Levi mumbles, looking over to where Bara was looking. "It's pretty."

She walks through the theoretical doorway of trees to the opening. It all looked so surreal… There, a huge tree sat at the center of the meadow, flowers, and fireflies buzzing around it. She smiled faintly as pleasant, reminiscent memories filled her mind.

She walked to the base of the tree, looking up the tall mossy trunk and placing her hand on the cool moss.

She sat at the base of the tree by the roots, closing her eyes and leaning her head back.

Levi smiles softly and walks toward her, sitting next to her on the ground.

"You like trees?" he asks.

She nods. "Yeah, and my grandma loved them."

Levi nods. "Did she have a big affect on you?"

"Of course," she says with a nod. "She raised me. Until she died, at least."

* * *

"Bara!" Jean calls with a smile as he sees his friend returning with his captain. "Sir," he greets formally. Levi nods, and parts with Bara, heading toward his tent.

"Where were you guys?"

"Oh, we were just-"

"Making out?" Jean interrupts with a smirk.

Bara punches him in the arm and growls, "No. We were simply training."

"Well, how about last night?" he teases. "How was it? Sleeping with the captain."

Bara blushes and slaps his arm. "Shut up! Dakirai! Dakirai! (I hate you!)" She slaps and punches his arm more as he simply laughs and occasionally asks her to stop.

Levi chuckles from his viewpoint at his tent, smirking as he enters it.

* * *

"Hey, but aren't you already like a fricking, a ninja on the wire?"

Bara sighs. "No, I'm not a ninja, Jean, don't be an idiot. I'm training to improve mobility."

"But you're better than like… Everyone one on the squad combined."

Bara sighs and slouches. "Stop and let me prepare my horse!"

"Fine, fine," Jean concedes.

They spend some time in silence, adjusting the reins, and the saddle of their horses.

"So what else did you do out there?"

"Jean!"

* * *

Levi removes his 3DMG straps and drops them and his gear in the pile with Bara's gear.

He sighs as he plops onto his cot. Thoughts swirl around his head, most pertaining to his time with Bara. He thinks he needs to try to tell her, but also thinks he shouldn't.

His mind conflicts with itself and reels over and over again.

After a long moment of those thoughts, he stands abruptly. He moves to the exit of the tent, thinking briefly whether he should get his 3DM Gear back on, but ignores it and walks outside.

"Bara!" he calls.

"Oh?" Jean teases, poking her.

"Stop," Bara groans. "Yes, Levi?" she asks in a perky voice.

"Come with me?" it sounds more like a question than an order.

"Sure," she responds, waving to Jean as she begins to walk with Levi.

Jean sticks his tongue out, mouthing the words 'have fun' to her.

She makes a face just as they're about to walk out of the castle.

"What'd you want from me?" she asks.

"Well," Levi starts. "I just wanted to talk."

"Okay, we can do that."

They walked through the tall grass, and over to a tall, mossy tree.

"Sit?"

"Sure," Bara responds, plopping onto the ground by the roots of the huge tree, Levi taking a place beside her.

"So? What'd you want to talk about?" Bara questions.

Levi looks off to the treetops, the words on the tip of his tongue but no will to say them.

"Well?" she asks again. "Because if you just wanted to spend time with me, you didn't have to lie. You can just tell me so."

Levi sighs slightly, feeling like a weight was being lifted off his shoulders, only for another to be dropped back on him. He struggled with internal turmoil for just a few moments before taking a deep breath. "I did want to talk to you about something, it's very important, but… I-" he chokes on his words, his breath getting caught in his throat, causing him to pause. "I… Find it very difficult to… Say…"

Bara nods, waiting patiently for him.

"I… Just… I-I…" His words get jumbled as he becomes tongue-tied. He bites the inside of his cheek, a blush crawling across his face as his heart thumps inside his chest.

"Levi…"

He felt like he could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears, and shaking the ground.

"Levi."

It began to sound louder, even though his heart was calming.

'Shit,' he thought.

"Do you hear that?" Bara asked.

"Yes," Levi says, hoping up to his feet quickly.

He scans the nearby area, looking for the source, the titan.

"Levi!" Bara shouts, seeing the titan coming from the west, the opposite direction he was facing.

He ran back toward the tree, seeing the surprisingly large titan nearing, he went into survival mode, finding the nearest refuge.

He grabbed Bara by the arm and ran with her behind the tree, scanning the area for a place to hide, but they couldn't outrun the speeding titan behind them.

"Levi, we can't outrun a titan," Bara says, eerily calm.

"Just keep running!" Levi shouts.

He knew where he wanted to go, he saw a cave not far, they only needed just one more minute to get there… It was so close…

"Levi!" she screeched, looking behind herself, seeing the titan mere yards away.

Levi slid around a corner and jumped into a small ditch just near some large roots of a tree, pulling Bara in with him.

The titan followed, though, and peered into the hole from above, its huge grinning head casting a shadow over their stilled bodies as they stared up in horror.

One of the titan's hands plants firmly against the trunk of the tree, its other hand reaching down toward Levi and Bara.

Its hand moved closer toward them, Levi standing protectively over Bara as she knelt on the ground. If he wasn't going to be able to tell her how he felt, he'd at least keep her safe.

The titan's hand suddenly slipped from the tree, making it abruptly fall down.

Levi's eyes widened as he stared up, but got abruptly jerked back.

Bara jumped up, pulling Levi by his shoulder and taking his place as Levi fell to the ground.

The titan's hand was now wrapping around Bara, and in an instant, Levi went from protecting her to the one being protected by her.

"Bara, no!" he shouted as the titan's grip tightened.

Tears fell down Bara's cheek as her hands gripped the enormous fingers of the titan.

She stared it in the eyes, it's giant grinning face staring right back. It just held her there, not moving her any closer, but staring directly at her.

It threw her to the side, completely ignoring her and reaching for Levi instead.

She screamed as her body hit the ground, tearing open her clothes and scraping her skin.

Levi stared up in awe, shocked by what he'd just seen. He'd never seen a titan simply throw a meal to the side, just to eat a different human.

He couldn't breathe, the grip was too restricting, he couldn't focus, his mind was in a haze, he couldn't see, his eyes wouldn't open…

Bara pushed herself up, coughing up blood as she attempted to sit. She turned herself around, seeing Levi, laying unmoving in the grip of the titan as he was mere feet away from its open mouth.

"Levi, no," she whispered, reaching out to him.

Her vision fades around the corners, her arm reaches out as far as possible, her heart rate increases, her breathing hitches.

"No," is the last thing she remembers whispering before her vision fades to black, and her assumption is…

Levi is dead…


	30. It's okay to cry

**[AN] My beta reader RoryThePotato recently lost her phone and computer, and therefore her only means of internet connection. So, she currently cannot beta read my stories, so, it will either be on a slight hiatus until she can get back, or all my chapters will be "hot off the press".**

 **I'm sorry for the wait on this chapter, thank you for your patience.**

 **Thank you for reading, and please leave a review! :3**

-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-

A titan's arm shot out from the nearby trees to Levi's left, its hand gripping the previously attacking Titan with such ferocity that it breaks its shoulder.

Levi's eyes widened as he stared at the newly appeared titan in awe. One thought crosses his mind; _… Annie!?_

The titan's body very clearly resembled that of a muscular female, it's dark brown hair to its shoulders and its eyes glowing a fierce golden brown.

The female titan's left-hand grip tightened on the titan's shoulder, its right fist coming shooting toward its jaw, knocking it to the ground.

Levi fell with it, fearing he was about to hit the ground, and if that didn't kill him, suffer an attack from this new Titan.

The female titan grabbed Levi from the cage of the other titan's hand. It gave the already evaporating titan another kick just before it fell to the ground, its focus now on Levi.

Levi's eyes met with the glowing brown ones of the female resembling titan, his heart hurting as thoughts of Bara crossed his mind.

Levi looked to his right, to the trees where this titan appeared from. He looked through the clearing smoke, into the slight opening of the trees where Bara once stood.

His heart ached as tears welled at the corners of his eyes. The emptiness was killing him, her lack of presence, it made it feel hard for him to breathe.

His view drifts back to the titan's looming face. Its eyes suddenly widen and it screeches loudly in some kind of call.

The tears are only flowing more now, and his hands are gripping the titan's fingers tightly. It screams and shouts more, its grip occasionally tightening and loosening.

He hears stomping, presumably from other titans, but all he can think about is Bara, and he just ignores the pain he's feeling in his lower body, but he can't ignore the pain in his chest.

Normal titans are now surrounding the abnormal, trying to crawl up its legs or latch onto it.

His cognitive function finally returned to him and he thought about this scenario for a moment.

'Didn't Annie do something similar? Call Titans to her? And when she did, those titans… Ate her… But, in this case, that's not what's happening, they're just trying to crawl onto it… I don't understand, what is this thing!?'

-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-

Jean shot a grapple into the wall of the castle and swung up, suspicions growing after hearing a loud noise. He instantly thought it was a titan, but upon glancing around, he didn't see anything. He was looking north, while Armin caught up to him, and Eren and Mikasa were looking south.

"See anything?" Armin asked after landing beside him.

Jean shook his head. "No, nothing."

They stay silent for a long moment until Armin turns around. "J-Jean…"

"GUYS!" Eren shouts, barely audible. "There's a titan!"

"What!?" Jean shouts, turning around abruptly and running past Armin, jumping off the wall, and then shooting a grapple to another nearby wall to swing over to the other side, Armin following shortly behind.

"Jean, wait up!" Armin calls.

Jean lands next to Eren, Armin coming up shortly behind him. "There's a titan?" Jean asks.

"Yeah! Over there," Eren says, pointing behind Mikasa.

"W-well… What're you waiting for!? We've got to get out there and-"

"Hold it," Mikasa interrupts, stopping Jean. "We haven't received any orders from the captain, nor do we even know where he is, and, it would be a better Idea not to engage them because the odds are, we'd lose."

Jean frowns but stays silent.

"Speaking of," Armin starts. "Where is Levi? And, for that matter, Bara as well. Has anyone seen them?"

"I saw her this morning with Levi, she said she'd been training with him. But I haven't seen them since" Jean says.

"Oh no," Armin says with worry.

A loud titan's screech bellows from behind them, everyone surprised and turning to the source.

"What was that!?" Jean shouted.

"A titan!" Eren said, just as shocked as Jean.

-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-

"See? I told you we should've gone and looked."

"Shut up, horse face," Eren says with irritation as he, Armin, Mikasa, and Jean all run across the wall in search of the screaming titan.

The ground practically shook as more screams echoed from the hollows of the wood.

"What is happening out there!?" Armin shouts.

"I don't know!" Mikasa responds. "But we need to find out!"

Suddenly, the trees are gone and Mikasa, Eren, Armin, and Jean all stand face to face with Levi in the grips of the new female titan.

"Wha-what is that?" Armin asks.

"ANNIE!?" Eren and Mikasa yell.

"Why the hell is those there!?" Jean shouts, pointing to the creature's legs where at least ten much smaller titans crawled and climbed on its legs.

Mikasa abruptly shot a grapple into the titan's shoulder, causing it to screech, and motioned for Eren, Armin, and Jean to follow before shooting off.

Eren and Jean follow quickly behind, leaving a stock-still Armin behind.

"No…" he whispers. "That doesn't look like Annie… That… That looks like…"

He shakes his head and jumps off the wall, bursting toward Mikasa, Eren, and Jean.

"Levi Sir!" Eren shouts, seeing Levi in his current position, his eyes hidden but tears still visible as they dripped down his cheeks.

Mikasa slashed across the arm of the female titan, making it screech and step to the side.

Mikasa grimaced as she sliced and slashed across the arm that held Levi.

One of the smaller Titans on the ground bit the female titan's leg, causing it to scream and kick the titan in Jean's direction.

He narrowly escaped the Titan as it flung through the air and landed with a thud on the ground behind him.

Eren had begun attacking the arm opposite to what Mikasa was attacking, and Jean attacked the same area that the smaller Titan had bitten.

Suddenly, Armin felt so useless as he stood on a tree branch. He saw his friends, all risking their lives on the battlefield, saving their captain. While he stood uselessly on a tree branch.

A tear threatened to form at the edges of his eyes. 'Always so useless, always in the way, always causing a problem for others to fix. Well… W-well…'

"Not anymore!" Armin shouted as he dashed toward the female titan, slashing across its face.

It screamed and yelled and screeched as it stumbled side to side, so many different attacks from different areas that it didn't know how to react, all the while, Levi sitting complacently in its hand.

He didn't even struggle, he just watched as others fought for his life.

A thought came to his mind, that he was risking others' lives for his not fighting. Though, he ceased to care. He couldn't fathom what had happened, so he was emotionally, physically, and mentally drained. For the first time in his memorable life, he couldn't suppress his emotions.

Tears poured as his head fell down and his shoulders shook.

The female titan lifted its arm and brought Levi closer to it, almost hitting Mikasa but dislodging the grapple she had implanted in the titan's shoulder. She launched another grapple into its shoulder blade and swung around the female titan's back toward Eren.

Levi noticed the movement and lifted his head to look up. His eyes caught the cloudy yet glowing eyes of the female titan, that almost looked as if it wanted to cry.

Upon looking into its eyes, something inside him clicked. Something just made it impossible to hold back his emotions as thoughts and memories of Bara flooded his mind.

More tears, more pain, more of a shuddering mess of himself as Levi's world fogged to a nothing. He ignored everything outside him and tried to ignore everything inside him to no avail.

Mikasa slices over and over at the same spot at the female titan's wrist, but every time the skin simply hardened with the crystal-like armor that Annie once used.

By the time Eren swings over to her location, Mikasa is swinging broken blades from a still position in the air.

"Mikasa, Mikasa!" Eren calls. "Please, st-!"

Armin's shrill shout echoes out as he attempts to slice at the nape of the titan's neck.

The female titan, not being prepared and the abrupt attack jarring it, stumbles forward.

Armin's attack, that would've landed perfectly centered at the nape, ended up hitting just below but was enough to shock the huge titan.

This gave Eren the opportunity to be a stand-in for Mikasa, slicing the female titan at the wrist, and almost cutting it off.

The cut was enough to make the Titan loosen its grip, Levi falling like a ragdoll out of its fingers.

The Titan screeched as it swung its arm to the side, hitting Eren and flinging him away. While Armin attacked from behind and Jean swung down to catch the falling captain.

"EREN!" Mikasa shouted, swinging over to where he was flung.

Armin continued his relentless attacks, swinging around to the front of the Titan, slashed across her face and eyes.

The creature screeched and wailed, covering its eyes with its hands.

Armin swung down to its legs, cutting its Achilles while it was still unable to see.

It screeched again, and, falling backward, hit the ground with a loud crash.

-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-

Jean swung down and caught Levi, with much trouble, seeing as he weighs over one-hundred forty pounds, and landed as softly as he could on the ground.

He set his unmoving captain onto the ground from the bridal-ish style of holding him and looked at him with worry.

"Levi, Sir," Jean spoke. "Are… Are you alright?" He spoke with a reserved fear, though it made itself known with an unstable voice.

Levi's answer was simply to hide one eye with the palm of his hand as he hunched over, his other hand gripping his knee.

Tears dripped down his cheek as almost silent sobs were uttered from his thin lips.

"... Levi?" Jean asked warily, kneeling down beside him.

Levi sniffled slightly, his shoulders shaking with sobs he refused to let out. Much like with the rest of his life, he was determined to bottle up his emotions, even if it'd do more harm to keep them in than to let them out.

"Sir?" Jean asked again, placing a gentle hand on Levi's shoulder. He could feel the muscles tense beneath his fingers.

"Where's Bara?"

Levi's body shook and he almost sobbed loudly, but instead, all he did was look up, red watery eyes pouring with tears, nose dripping, face red, looking like a bawling toddler.

'What a mess I've become'

Jean stands, seeing the huge shadow of a falling Titan coming near to him, and looks up.

"Shit!"

-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-

"Eren!" Mikasa shouts, swinging over to a branch where Eren had landed after being hit by the Titan.

He coughed as he sat up, looking at Mikasa next to him with a faint smile.

"Are you okay?" she asked with ample worry, kneeling next to him.

"Y-yeah," Eren responded weakly.

"Eren," she whimpered, wrapping her arms around him. "I… I Thought you'd been hurt much worse."

Eren coughs. "Trust me, I'm still hurt, possible broken ribs, probably something is broken somewhere. Maybe internal bleeding," he said with another cough.

"Well, let's get back," Mikasa says with a soft smile, helping Eren up.

"Alright," Eren says as he stands with Mikasa's assistance.

A loud booming noise echoes out from the center of the wood, something so heavy hitting the ground that it shook the huge trees.

Eren clings to Mikasa as the branch shakes, Mikasa whispering, "Did they take her down?"

-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-

Eren and Mikasa land on the ground near the edge of the clearing, opposite to the side of Jean and Levi, as Armin lands on a tree branch above them.

Jean, Mikasa, Eren, even Levi look up as the Titan falls. It lands on its knees first, tears flowing down its cheeks and dripping down its chin.

Levi's eyes widen as he looks up in shock, 'A Titan… Crying. This…'

He didn't know what to think anymore, as the Titan hit the ground hard, landing face down.

It began to steam and evaporate, and as the commotion died down, and other cadets, and even Hanji, appeared on the wall of the castle, and Armin jumped down from the tree to land beside Eren and Mikasa, Levi's crying became more and more evident.

His shoulders shook and his head leaned forward, placing his head in his hands and dragging his knees up to his chest, his sobbing became louder and more noticeable as all the noise died down.

"Levi… Sir…" Mikasa whispered.


	31. Save my soul

**[AN] Welp, here's the next chapter. "hot off the press", once again.**

 **Thank you for reading and please leave a review! :3**

 **Thirty chapters. That's a lot! Remember when I celebrated ten chapters? Probably not. Over eighty thousand words. I've written a lot for this story, I'm almost there at one-hundred thousand!**

 **DISCLAIMER (Hasn't it been so long since I did this? [please don't sue me...]): I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin. Nor do I own any of its characters. I do own my OC, Bara Tetsu. She's an adorable little bean, (Even though she's really tall,) and she's my adorable little bean (even though she's really tall.)**

-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-

Jean, Mikasa, Eren, even Levi look up as the Titan fell. It lands on its knees first, tears flowing down its cheeks and dripping down its chin.

Levi's eyes widen as he looks up in shock, 'A Titan… Crying. This…'

He didn't know what to think anymore, as the Titan hit the ground hard, landing face down.

It began to steam and evaporate, and as the commotion died down, other cadets, even Hanji, appeared on the wall of the castle, and Armin jumped down from the tree to land beside Eren and Mikasa, Levi's crying became more and more evident.

His shoulders shook and his head leaned forward, placing his head in his hands and dragging his knees up to his chest, his sobbing became louder and more noticeable as all the noise died down.

"Levi… Sir…" Mikasa whispered.

"Guys, look!" Armin shouted, pointing at the titan's neck.

"Wha-what's happening!?" Jean yelled, but Eren and Mikasa seemed to know better than to ask.

Levi looked up, and, seeing the movement of the titan's neck, his eyes widened. He hopped to his feet surprisingly fast.

A head of brunette hair pulls out of the nape of the titan's neck, strands of muscle still connecting it. Steam plumes around them as they pry themselves free with sluggish movements.

Their head broke free, and Bara's face showed through the smoke.

More tears came to Levi's eyes, but this time, tears of joy, tears of astonishing relief, so much so that he doesn't even think about the fact that she just popped out of a titan's body.

"Oh my god!" Jean said, him, Eren, Armin, and Mikasa all shocked still.

Levi, on the other hand, was running toward her, stumbling on the way, but toward her nonetheless.

"Bara!" he called, seeing her look at him with cloudy, tired eyes.

The titan's body has evaporated completely, and so Levi runs completely up to her, falling to his knees as soon as he's near her.

He wraps his arms around her, whispering in her ear, "I was scared…" before he began to hear her sob softly.

Her raspy voice broke the silence. "I thought that you were going to die and-and-and I just… I… I didn't know what to do, I… I panicked… And… I don't know what happened I just-"

"Shh, it's okay, Bara."

"B-Bara… Did-did you… You just… I-I…" Armin stammered, his heart pounding and mind racing with what just happened.

"Bara…" Eren whispered.

"I… I don't know what happened…" Bara says, looking around at all the eyes on her.

"Uhm… You… You…"

Hanji, followed by a few other cadets including Krista, Connie, and Sasha, jumped off the wall and swung down to land by them.

"Sweetie," the scientist began. "Are… Are you alright?"

"Y-yes… Why?"

"You really don't know what happened, do you?"

Bara shook her head. "N-no… Why is everyone staring at me?"

"Sweetie," Hanji started gently, kneeling down beside Levi and in front of Bara. She still looked confused as Hanji put a hand on her shoulder.

"You… Well…" Hanji had to think of her words carefully, so she paused for a moment.

"You… You're a shifter, sweetie."

"Wha-what…? What's that supposed to mean?" Bara asked almost breathlessly.

"You… You transformed into a titan. We all saw it," Hanji added with a gesture toward the group of worried friends standing behind them.

"N-no, no, no!" Bara yells, slapping Hanji's hand off her shoulder and stumbling back.

"No… It's… It's not possible…"

"Bara, sweetie, please calm down," Hanji soothes.

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Bara scream. "STOP, STOP, STOP, STOP, STOP! No, no, it can't be possible… It… It can't…"

"Bara," Levi whispers, standing. "Please, calm down, please," he practically begs as he walks toward her.

"It happened, when the titan attacked me, you transformed," Levi said as he stood in front of her, cornering her against a tree.

"NO! It's not true! Don't say that!" She shouted, shoving Levi away from her.

Everyone stood in shock, staring as Bara ran into the wood.

"Bara, no-!" Levi started, but was cut off by Bara shouting shrilly, "Don't follow me!"

Levi faltered for a moment but followed her nonetheless.

"Levi, are you sure you should follow her?"

"Shut up, shitty glasses!"

Hanji sighs as she watches Levi run into the wood after Bara.

"Just… Don't die… Please…" Hanji whispers.

"Bara, Bara! Stop, please!"

Bara didn't stop running. She kept moving, kept ignoring the things around her, even though there was a thought in the back of her mind telling her she was putting people's lives at immense risk, including her own, but she pushed it all away.

"Bara!" he shouts again, pleading, "Please!"

She falters only slightly, the thought of Levi begging, pleading for her to stop and come back… Just a strange thought. But she didn't dwell on it long, her impulsiveness telling her to continue on and ignore everything else.

She looks down at her feet, jumping over small roots and crunching over fallen leaves.

She felt a warmth on her cheeks, hot tears dripping down her face, and saw them cloud her vision.

She realized she was crying.

The ground stopped moving, the sound of crunching leaves was no longer ringing in her ears.

She realized she'd stopped running.

She felt something on her shoulder, she felt a warmth around her, she smelled a familiar, comforting scent enveloping her.

She realized Levi was standing directly behind her, gently calling her name as she practically fell over, gasping for breath.

Her fingers digging into the Earth, dirt underneath her fingernails, hands ripping the grass to shreds, Levi kneeling beside her and whispering comforting words, she sobs.

"I-I'm… A… Sh-shifter…?" she asked weakly.

Levi paused. He found himself just as fearful of the outcome of all this, just as Bara. But he couldn't lie, and he couldn't let his emotion show through as he said, "yes."

Her heart feels as though it stops, and she didn't realize it, but her arms gave out from under her, her face hit the dirt, more tears fell uncontrolled from her eyes and dripped down her cheeks, and by the time she was conscious of her surroundings, Levi was holding her bridal style and carrying her back to the rest of the squad.

She couldn't look them in the eyes, she felt like a disgrace, like she didn't belong in their presence, so she hid her face in Levi's chest and gripped the collar of his jacket.

"Sweetie? Are you alright?" Hanji asked gently.

"She's alright," Levi answered for her, knowing she wasn't going to speak. "Just a little out of it."

"Hey, Bara," he whispers quietly, shaking her gently. "Bara?"

Her head rolls away from its hiding place against his shoulder and her sleeping face shows itself. Levi smiles softly.

"She must've been tired, and confused," he whispered, mostly to himself, but he was sure (not that he cared,) that other people heard.

"So…" Armin started slowly. "She's… She's really a shifter?"

Levi simply nods, still looking at Bara's somewhat peaceful face.

"But, how?" he asks in confusion.

Levi shrugs. "I don't know. Something similar to Jaeger's case?"

Armin thinks about it for a moment. "So, you mean… Someone in her life, possibly related to Grisha, did something to her and modified her DNA so that she could transform?"

"Probably so," Levi said absently. "You could ask her yourself, but I don't think she'd be open about talking on that subject…"

Silence befalls them, no one knew what to say in a situation like this.

"Why did she run from us?" Mikasa asks, now standing behind Levi, her feeling of pain evident in her voice.

"She was scared," Levi states simply. "She knows that… If people besides us learn of this, she will be in a huge amount of trouble. Sure, we know she's not a threat, but she doesn't know how to control this ability. And she already knew all of what happened to Eren, so not only that but she will also have to be tested on. She knew all of this and was scared and she ran."

Mikasa stands in front of him, looking at the unconscious Bara in his arms.

"She looks," Mikasa starts, gently placing the back of her hand against Bara's cheek. "Peaceful," she finishes with a soft smile.

"We should… Take her back," Hanji says with slight hesitation.

Levi nods. "Yeah, we should all head back."

-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-

"Bara, sweetie? Are you awake?"

"Don't even try, Hanji," Levi whispers, gently laying Bara down on the cot in his shared tent. "I'm sure she's tired, and she's still asleep, so let her stay that way."

"Okay," Hanji says. It's a weird experience for her. Levi being so gentle, so caring, to a cadet. 'Well, it was already known that he was fond of her…' Hanji muses to herself in her mind, knowing if she said it aloud she would very quickly be decked.

As the other cadets had fears of what would happen, many pacing, some going to their tents to rest, but Levi and Jean stayed in Levi's tent to comfort Bara as she woke.

She shifted slowly, her eyes fluttering open, she groaned just slightly.

"Ugh, my head," she groaned as she quickly sat up.

Levi planted his hand against her chest, saying, "No, you should rest." He pushed her back but felt resistance.

"Uhm… Okay…" she murmured, leaning back and lying down.

Levi hissed in pain as it felt as though the bones in his hand were broken. Well, they probably were.

"What?" Bara asked, Jean looking over with worry as well.

"I think I broke my hand…" Levi muttered.

"You think?" Jean repeated.

"Well I don't know yet," Levi said with malice.

Jean raised his hands and looked away. "Alright, alright."

Levi sighed. He massaged his hand, but cringed when he felt, and heard, something unnaturally popping in and out of place. He gritted his teeth as he tightened his hand into a fist.

"Yeah… That's broken."

"Told ya," Jean smirked.

Bara punched him in the shoulder surprisingly hard for a girl who'd just woken up from a deep sleep only moments ago.

Now sitting fully up, she looked at Levi's hand, leaning in closer to get a better look.

"I'll need to get this checked out by Hanji," he mumbled.

He stood, asking, "Kirschtein, will you two be alright in here for a little while?"

Jean nodded, and both he and Bara said, "Yeah."

Levi nodded back, holding eye contact with Bara before stepping out.

Bara blushed as she looked down at her hands in her lap.

Jean smirked. "Aw, well aren't you two cute?"

Bara glared up at him and slapped his arm.

She felt like cursing him out but refrained from doing so, settling for relentlessly slapping and punching his arm.

"Hey, hey, stop! Shouldn't you listen to your boyfriend and get some rest?" Jean asks, grabbing her wrists.

Bara sighs. She wanted to punch him in the face, but settles for lying down on the cot and whispering, "Ass."

-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-

"Hanji," Levi calls, seeing the brunette in question turn her head.

He raises his bruised hand, and by the face she pulls, he already knows she can tell something is off.

"Yeesh, what did you do? Clean something too hard?" she asks while examining his hand.

Levi grimaces. "No, shitty glasses, a titan crushed it.."

Hanji hums as she grabs him by the hand. "Alright, let's go to my tent! I've got the first aid kit there."

She grips his hand and pulls him along.

He hisses in pain, sibilating, "You're grabbing my broken hand!"

"Oh well!"

Levi growls slightly, and tugs his hand, but finds it useless, it'd only do more damage, besides, she's always had a surprisingly strong grip.

"Can you at least slow down? We both know you have longer legs than me."

"Too late!" Hanji calls. "We're already here! Now, after you!" she said as she opened the tent.

Levi rolled his eyes as he bent over, not needing to bend over as much as Hanji, and crawled on his knees to the cot across from the one with the first aid kit on top of it.

Hanji sits in front of him and, grabbing his hand and some gauze, asks, "So, got any gossip?"

Levi scoffs. "What are you, twelve?"

Hanji frowns. "You know what I mean, don't you have any interesting stories?"

"No one ever knows what you mean…"

"C'mon!" she all but squeals.

Levi sighs. "Do you really want to know what's going on in my life?"

Hanji nods as she gently wraps his hand with bandages.

"Fine… I'm worried about Bara."

Hanji nods. "Continue."

"What do you mean continue?"

"That can't be all there is to it! C'mon, I know you're acting differently for a reason, and it's not just that. Now tell me!"

Levi bites his lip and shifts uncomfortably.

"I… There's something I want to tell Bara."

"Ooh!" Hanji squeals. "I already know what it is!"

Levi sighs. "What?" he asks with irritability.

"You like her~!" she says, practically rolling from her position as she held Levi's hand (by the wrist.)

"Tch," Levi muttered with irritation. "You really are twelve…" he mutters. "And, no, I don't like her… I love her… But I don't know if she feels the same."

"Levi, I'm sure she feels the same!"

"But how can you be sure?"

"Sweetie, have you seen the way she looks at you?"

Levi shrugs. "Well… I guess…"

"Of course she feels the same!" Hanji shouts with a smile.

"Yeah… I hope so…"

"Wait… But…" Hanji starts, tightening the gauze causing Levi to take a sharp intake of breath.

"What?" Levi asks.

"What… What are we going to do with her?"


	32. I loved him

**[AN] Another "hot off the press" update!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin in any way. BUT, I DO own my OC, Bara Tetsu! She's 29, a shifter, and lookin' for love!**

-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-

"What… What are we going to do with her?"

The thought rang through Levi's mind as his horse picked up speed.

Bara's grip tightened around his waist. He held the reins tightly in his hands as he grit his teeth.

"You okay?" he called.

Bara mumbled some kind of affirmative response as she snuggled her head into his back.

He hummed and smiled gently. "Good," he muttered.

Levi was worried. He wouldn't show it, but he was worried. He was afraid of what would happen to Bara. He knew she'd have to go through some kind of "quarantine" when they got back, but he didn't know just what would happen when she was in there, or what they would do to her.

But, most of all, he was afraid of how she'd be when she woke up. How would she feel, would she even be okay? And what had she seen?

Levi felt Bara's head move against his back, and she lifted it onto his shoulder.

"What happened, where am I?" Bara whispered into his ear, sending shivers down Levi's back.

"You… Uhm…" he muttered, clearing his throat softly.

"Oh… Right," she mumbled, casting her gaze aside. "I remember now…"

"Yeah… You…"

"I know…" She whispered.

There was tense silence for a moment, not the kind of silence Levi is used to around Bara. He's used to being around Bara and not even talking for hours on end, being fully comfortable about it. But Bara's aloof nature had disappeared.

She had become tense and serious, much like the situation they were in.

And it worried him.

-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-

Bara shifted uncomfortably. Her head pounded, her body ached, and her ears picked up faint sounds of footsteps and distant conversation.

She opened her eyes and was met with the familiar face of her beloved captain.

Levi looked down at her, and, meeting her eyes, asked, "Bara, you fell asleep. How are you feeling?"

When the brunette in his arms managed to piece together her thoughts, she murmured, "Fine… Th-thank you…"

Levi smiled gently. "Good," he whispered.

"I… I can stand, ya know," Bara said with a slight smirk.

Levi scoffed as he set down her legs and gently helped her to stand. "Yeah, you couldn't do that while you were asleep."

"And yet you continued to hold me long after I woke."

As Bara looked around she found that they were in the castle.

"Where're we going?" She could see they weren't headed toward the barracks as she followed her captain.

"The infirmary."

"The infirmary?" she repeated. "Why?"

The raven haired man sighed. "Because you need to get checked out by the nurses."

"But, I'm fine…"

"Hanji will be there as well," Levi continued walking as he spoke, but when he heard his disciple's footsteps falter, he turned to look.

Bara had stopped walking completely, she stared at the ground as her body shook.

Levi looked at her a moment, before walking back to her.

"Bara? What's wrong?" he asked gently.

She shook her head, brown hair-tussling around her.

"No… No… No tests, no needles, none of that…" she whispered as Levi moved closer still.

"Bara, please, calm down," he said as he held her shaking body in his arms.

Finally, the scared brunette looked up from the floor, looking to Levi for answers.

"There… Please tell me there won't be any of that… There won't, right?"

Levi looked down the hall. "I don't know."

Bara looked scared into his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I just don't know. I can only tell you that Hange will have to decide. I can ask her while we're in the infirmary."

Bara nodded, and they continued on to the infirmary.

-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-

"Okay, take a deep breath for me," The polite nurse said as she held a stethoscope to Bara's chest.

The young brunette does as asked, taking a long breath of air into her lungs, before breathing out again.

"Okay," the nurse says as she removes the stethoscope from her ears. "That's all, your vitals seem to be normal, and you have no injuries."

Bara nods. "Thank you," she murmured as she stood from the examining bed, barely registering the nurse's response as she walked to the exit of the infirmary.

Levi and Hanji stood by the exit, talking to one another.

The dazed brunette stood by her raven-haired lieutenant, feeling as though water was in her ears as she was deaf to the conversation around her.

Only when the brown-haired scientist is staring at her with anticipation, and she turned to her captain to see the shape of the words, "are you okay," on Levi's lips, does she realize she's missing something.

And only when she saw the world spinning around her, and felt arms around her, holding her close, and the relief of being supported, did she realize the pain she was in.

And only when her world began to turn dark, and the face of Levi that hovered above hers slowly began to black out from her vision, did she realize how tired she was.

-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-

Running,

running,

running.

It was the only thing that crossed the blonde-haired girl's mind.

 _'Run, if you keep running, you'll find them. They'll be safe, you'll be safe -'_

Her thoughts were cut off as she stared up into the sky, seeing the sun blocked from her view as a giant monster's head peered in from above the treetops.

Her eyes widened as her heart raced.

Run...

Run...

Run!

Her feet slipped across the dew covered grass as she scrambled to escape the monster's sights.

 _'I just have to find them, I just have to find them!'_

The blonde girl shot two grapples into a tree, and though she had no gas, she leaped into the air. She retracted the lines just slightly, using momentum to throw herself forward, and bring herself high enough off the ground to swing.

She shouted, "Sis! Bay!" to the figures standing on a giant branch.

Ran fired a grappling hook into a branch above where her friends stood. She swung up, using the last of her gas in hopes of making it, but wasn't quite able to make it up.

Her feet planted on the side of the branch, the blonde gripped her wire to keep herself up, but the grapple, dislodge from the tree branch above. She screeched and closed her eyes as the grapple fell, but quickly realized she wasn't falling.

She opened an eye and looked up, meeting her brunet friend's eyes. Her eyes brightened as she shouted, "Basil!" jumping into her friend's arms who held her by the wrists.

Basil smiled. "You're alright," he said.

"And so are you!" Ran said, standing up straight. "Sis! Are you okay too?" she asked, turning to her female brunette friend.

The brunette smiled. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm just glad you're alright, you had me worried."

Ran jumped into her arms with a giggle. "Aw, you don't have to worry about me so much, Bara!"

Ran looked up to Bara with her head against the brunette's chest, Bara's hand on Ran's head.

"But, I do," she said with a soft smile. "I wouldn't ever want anything to happen to you."

Ran smiled. "And I wouldn't ever want anything to happen to you, either!"

"But it's a good thing," Ran stated quietly as she removed herself from Bara's side.

"What do you mean?" Bara asked.

"I was chased by a titan on the way here, but I think I lost it!" She said with a chirp.

Bara's eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to say something, but Basil's shout cut her off.

"What!? Why didn't you tell us!? It probably followed you back!"

Ran's head reared back with every shout of Basil's. She raised her hands, apologizing, saying, "I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't think to tell you, I... I just-!"

"Basil! Stop it!" Bara shouts to her older friend. "Don't yell at her, that won't fix anything. We need to find a way to deal with this."

Basil frowned but reluctantly agreed. "Do either of you have any blades? Gas?"

Bara and Ran shook their heads.

"I used all the rest of my gas to get back, and you guys used the rest of my blades."

"Okay, well, I-I guess we could..." Basil starts, but he's cut off by a loud bang, Bara and Ran staring up in fear.

Basil slowly turns around, being face-to-face with a titan, just mere feet away.

"Run!" he shouts, backing away before jumping off the tree and swinging down, following his female friends.

He hits the ground running, passing Bara and catching up with Ran who'd jumped down first.

"No! Stop!" Bara shouted as she tripped, hitting her face on the dirt.

Bara grounded as the world spun around her. She looked up, vision blurry, but could see Basil turning to look at her, and not making any attempt to turn back and help.

Bara's eyes widened as tears burned the edges of her eyes, pounding footsteps thrumming in her ears.

She was shocked as she looked up to see the smiling giant step directly over, taking no notice of her.

The titan moved toward her two friends, Easily plucking the brunette male, smiling, seemingly mocking his futile attempts of escape.

He brought Basil up to his mouth, its huge grin opening. Bara could sware the creature looked right at her as...

Its jaw snapped closed, tearing the top half of her friend apart.

Bara screamed shrilly, tears streaming as she shot up in bed.

She looked around, vision blurred and swaying, her whole body shaking, she realized she wasn't laying in the dirt, she was no longer in the Garrison squad, she was in the infirmary of the castle of the Survey Corps under captain Levi.

She clutched her stomach as she sobbed, and succumbed to the darkness and her own echoing cries.

She looked up at the ceiling, tears in her eyes as she said with a broken voice, **"I _loved_ him."**


End file.
